Australian visa with mis-matched names on two passports
I was born into both US and Japanese citizenship and have passports with 2 different names. For some odd reason, my parents decided to use my father's family name for the US and use my mother's maiden name for the Japanese.
Japan requires you to declare one of your citizenship and renounce the other by the age of 22, which I have not done.
Now I am applying for an Australian work and holiday visa on my US passport and it asks if I have citizenship in another country. I do not want to lie to their government so I am planning to give both names and both passport information, but does this mean I will be in trouble or not very likely to be granted a visa?
It would be easy to lie to the government without giving my Japanese name. However, my significant other is in Australia so, further down the line, if we ever decide to marry, I'd have to change my last name for both countries and I'd like for my s.o. not to get into any legal trouble for marrying 2 "separate" people at the same time as well as me for lying to the government.
Best Answer
Just tell the truth. Australia is fine with multiple citizenships, so they're not going to care if you declare multiple citizenships or names, but they will definitely care if they ever find out you purposely mislead them. And if you do ever end up applying for permanent residence, they will require so many documents from you that they will most likely find out.
Source: My own children are dual citizens, they too have a different name in their Japanese passport than in their Australian passport, and Australia is fully aware of this but does not care.
Incidentally, the "some odd reason" you (and my kids) are in this situation is that Japanese passports can only be issued in the same family name as their koseki entry, which in turn must be the same as the mother's family name. And if your mother did not legally adopt your father's last name when they got married, it's quite difficult to change it afterwards. You can include parenthetical extra names in the Japanese passport though, so my kids have both their last names listed along the lines of "Tanaka (Smith)".
Pictures about "Australian visa with mis-matched names on two passports"
How do I travel with two passports with different names?
Answer: As a U.S. citizen, you are required to depart and re-enter the United States using your U.S. passport. As long as the name on your tickets match that on your U.S. passport, there should be no issue.Can Australian hold two passports?
If you have two passports, we call the second one a 'concurrent' passport. Concurrent passports cost the same as standard ten-year passports but are only valid for up to three years. To apply for a concurrent passport, you need to call us on 131 232 or contact an Australian diplomatic or consular mission .When you have two passports which one do you use?
The general rule of thumb for dual nationals going to one of their countries is enter and exit on that country's passport. Dual national US citizens must use their US passport when entering and leaving the United States, which after all makes sense: You're an American leaving, or returning to, America.Can dual citizens use both passports?
As a dual citizen, you are allowed to carry passports from both countries. For example, if you are a U.S. citizen and also a citizen of New Zealand, you can travel more easily between these two countries.What to do if your Name doesn't match in Documents?
More answers regarding australian visa with mis-matched names on two passports
Answer 2
Visa granting decisions lay with the examining consular officer. There is no way for anyone here to accurately answer your specific question.
As a precaution you might wish to include copies of your birth certificate(s) that show both names along with your parents name with your visa paperwork, as likely the Australian consular office will ask for that information to verify the dual name status.
Another aspect that might come into play, are you over 22? If so, then the validity of your Japanese citizenship might be questioned, which may or may not effect the visa decision.
Ultimately, if it were me, I will call the Australian Embassy/Consulate and ask about how they prefer I handle the dual citizenship / dual name aspect. They are by far the best source of info.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Nataliya Vaitkevich, RODNAE Productions, Porapak Apichodilok, Mr Borys