Why is there no middle name field in U.S. visas? [closed]

Why is there no middle name field in U.S. visas? [closed] - Empty asphalt road going through cactus fields towards rocky mountains against cloudy blue sky in United States of America

U.S. visas have Given Name and Surname fields (see Google search for examples). The Given Name field might contain just a single name ("John") or multiple names ("John Michael"). But why is there no Middle Name field?

I'm asking because U.S. legal names consist of a first, middle and last name. When a U.S. visa holder with a given name consisting of multiple names ("John Michael") gets a U.S. legal name, it seems to be registered by the Social Security Administration as:

  • First name: "John Michael"
  • Middle name: none
  • Last name: "Smith"

It would seem natural that "Michael" would be registered as the middle name, but the Social Security Administration insists that putting both "John" and "Michael" in the first name is the correct way to construct the U.S. legal name, based on how the name has been entered into the U.S. visa. And they will only register the U.S. legal name exactly as it is in the U.S. visa. But there does not seem to be any Middle Name field in U.S. visas. Why not?

The result is that foreigners with multiple given names face confusion and frustration when dealing with forms that require entering the U.S. legal name and associated Social Security Number, because most places do not expect the first name to consist of multiple names, while leaving the middle name empty. And it does not seem to be possible to fix this, because U.S. visas do not have a Middle Name field to move the rest of the given names to.






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Does given name include middle name in U.S. visa?

Given Names: Enter your given name as it appears in your passport. Given name includes both your first and middle name.

Does given name include middle name in U.S. passport?

Answer Your passport will contain your entire name. Your middle name will be spelled out entirely. The United States Transportation Security Administration made it mandatory for passengers to provide their full name.

Is last name mandatory for U.S. visa?

If you apply for U.S. Visa without Surname in the Passport, they will issue U.S. Visa, but your first name will be used for the Last Name field in the Visa. Your U.S. Visa would look like this.

Does name change affect U.S. visa?

No. One needs to get the details changed, officially. If name on the visa and passport is same then old visa is valid. But if name is completely changed then new passport and visa is required.



10 Reasons Your US Visa May be Denied




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Enric Cruz López, Josh Hild, Karolina Grabowska, Frank Cone