34 Comments
· 03/01/2022
Hey all! Anyone can explain how it works with the last name if a woman is getting married to a Peruvian man?
Is it possible to get the name of him?
- This commment is unpublished.
· 03/01/2022@AlexandraHello AlexandraThe Peruvian names consist of first name(s), father's surname (apellido paterno) and mother's surname (apellido materno); if a woman is married she keeps her two last names and, if at all, adds "de and the husband's father's surname".So if Juanita (first name) Perez (father's surname) Gonzalez (mother's surname) marries Juan Torres Gomez, she either remains Juanita Perez Gonzalez or she will be Juanita Perez Gonzalez de Torres.It's absolutely unthinkable that a Peruvian woman will renounce her names and take her husband's names. Additionally, if you take your husband's name, from the name you become your husband's sister; and getting the names correctly registered for possible future children will be a nightmare.I married a Peruvian abroad under foreign law and took my husband's (father's) surname. As long as we lived abroad we didn't have any problems . However, when moving to Peru and finally registering our marriage and our children with Reniec convincing the officials that I'm my husband's wife and not sister and getting our children the father's surname and the correct mother's surname (and not a second time the husband's name) was challenging and time consuming.So, my recommendation keep your name and just add the "de and husband's surname). Makes your life a lot easier, if you plan to live in Peru or other Latin American countries.GreetingsEva - This commment is unpublished.
· 22/03/2022@Sunflower Hi eva, thanks for your recommendation to add the 'de and husband's surname. I assume you have done this and having children with surname issue as you mentioned it was challenging n time consume.
Could you share more in detail experience, what you do in order registering your marriage and your children with Reniec convincing the officials?
Did your children still facing any issue relating the surname in Peru now? - This commment is unpublished. · 22/03/2022@Grace Hello Grace,
No, as described above, I haven’t done it, I was stupid enough to take my husband’s surname which many years later gave us lots of problems registering our marriage and our children with correct surnames at Reniec in Peru.
I still have my husband’s surname and didn’t change it to the Peruvian naming as I would have had to change my name in my home country, then get my name changed on many documents including my passport, marriage certificate, etc. and only then could have registered our marriage at Reniec. So no, never did that.
Instead, we went to court and had a Peruvian judge officially rule that I’m not my husband’s sister but his wife; while Reniec didn’t want to accept and seemingly couldn’t understand my birth certificate with my maidan name (so, my father’s surname) and our marriage certificate which shows my maidan name and at the bottom has a paragraph explaining that according to xyz law in my home country I took my husband’s surname which as well becomes the surname of our family, the judge had a closer look at both documents and after questioning my husband ruled in our favor and ordered Reniec to register our marriage.
Reniec then did register our marriage but told us that they only can do it with my name as in my passport which is first names, husband’s name “born” my maidan name. So, my husband’s surname is now my apellido paterno and my maidan name which is my father’s surname is now my apellido materno. Absolutely stupid, but we agreed under the condition that they would register our children correctly with first names, my husband’s (their father’s) surname and then my maidan (their mother’s) name.
So, while now my name is completely “wrong” in Peru, my children’s name is correct, and they don’t have any problems. The only thing important to me.
And just for your info, all this happened nearly 20 years ago, so, not sure if Reniec today is more understanding and accommodating.
What you have to do to register your marriage? Depends on where you were married. If you were married in Peru, the municipality is supposed to automatically send the Acta de Celebración de Matrimonio to Reniec, who is supposed to register your marriage and issue the Partida de Matrimonio. However, as this often takes ages, you can request the registration of your marriage at Reniec to speed up the process. Super simple process and, when I remember correctly, there is no discussion about the wife’s surnames as the Peruvian way of naming is applied. If you were married abroad, you are supposed to register your marriage at a Peruvian consulate. Advantage: they know the differences regarding the names and are usually more accommodating (but best check with them before changing your name). Disadvantage: your marriage is registered at the consulate and your marriage certificate issued by the consulate, not Reniec; so, in the future when you are in Peru you can’t get copies of it from Reniec but have to request them from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you married abroad and didn’t register your marriage at a consulate, you can as well do so at Reniec in Peru. If the names on birth certificates, marriage certificates, DNI of the Peruvian part and passports are the same, no problem. But as soon as something is out of the ordinary, be prepared for lots of discussions.
Registering a child at Reniec as well usually is a simple process if it was born in Peru. You and the baby just pay Reniec a visit (have ID with you and the Certificado de nacido vivo (CNV) which you get at the hospital where the child was born), do lots of paperwork and within 2 weeks you have the birth certificate. Naming is done according to the Peruvian rule, so father’s surname and mother’s surname as registered with Reniec or in case a foreigner is involved according to the name on the carné or in the passport. During the pandemic, Reniec started online registering births. So, if the mother is Peruvian, she can register the child online either through the DNI BioFacial app or through the Reniec Mesa de Partes. Not sure, if this is still possible. If the child was born abroad, it should be registered at a consulate, otherwise it can be done later at Reniec in Peru. However, you only have 60 days after birth to register the child. After that, you have to do an Inscripción de nacimiento extemporánea; this late registering is possible for any Peruvian older than 61 days and even adults that never were registered.
Greetings
Eva
- This commment is unpublished. · 04/04/2022@Sunflower Hi eva,
so i am asian and planning to be married but facing the same surname rule issue, so lets say my full name grace angela. And my fiance is peruvian, his name Silvio Cueto Lopez.
Based on reniec nameing rules, is my last name ‘angela’ considered as family name? Our internal discussion is saying it is part of given name, not family name.
Before marriage, should i change my name with Grace Angle ‘De Lopez in order to align with reniec rule? Or just keep it as grace angela?
should i keep it simple with marry abroad from peru? But however i should register our marriage in both of our origin country
what is the court suggestion when this u deal with ur children naming?
If i keep it as grace angela…. Will be an issue if my future children naming?
example Maria Cueto Angela is correct based on reniec?
please advice based on ur experience 🙏🏻 Or at least i can get heads up to what should be prepare in documents - This commment is unpublished. · 04/04/2022@Grace Hello Grace,
Sorry, but I have the feeling that you either didn’t understand the Peruvian naming system and why I had problems with the name (see below example 3) or are overthinking things, making them more complicated than they are.
Why would Reniec not accept your name(s)? And why would you think of changing your name? Do not do it, you make things even worse and create your own little hell. The naming problems mentioned only arise if you marry abroad and take your husband’s surname! If you marry abroad and keep your surname, all is fine; and if you marry in Peru, there is no problem.
And you don’t know which of your names are first/given names and which surnames? Have a look at your passport. I just checked passports from different Asian countries (China, India, Correa, Japan) and all had a “Given name” field and a “Surname” field. So, you should be able to identify if your first name is only Grace or if you are Grace Angela. And as authorities in Peru will use the names as in your passport, there is no discussion and moving around a first name, making it a surname.
There might be discrepancies only with the surname(s). The thing is that Peruvians usually have their first/given name(s)(nombre(s)), then the father’s surname (apellido paterno; first surname) and then the mother’s surname (apellido materno; second surname).
In many other countries, people only have one surname and that might or might not be the father’s. So, in case you only have one surname, even if this is not your father’s (it could be your mother’s or your husband’s), in Peru this surname will be considered as “apellido paterno” (father’s surname). In case you have two surnames, the first will be considered as “apellido paterno” (father’s surname) and the second as “apellido materno” (mother’s surname), no matter if these two names really are your father’s and mother’s first surnames.
The naming of children is super simple. As described above, the child is given his or her first names by the parents, then the father’s first surname and the mother’s first surname is added. To make it clearer, find attached three charts.
Example 1
As mentioned by you, father’s complete name is
Silvio (first name) Cueto (father’s surname) Lopez (mother’s surname)
Mother’s complete name is as mentioned by you
Grace (first name) Angela (father’s surname) ??? / n/a (mother’s surname; I don’t know, if you have a second surname; if not, it’s just dropped) If you are married to Silvio you can add “de Cueto” to your name.
Child’s complete name would be
??? (first name) Cueto (father’s first surname) Angela (mother’s first surname)
Usual Peruvian naming: first name(s), father’s first surname, mother’s first surname. All good.
Example 2
Father’s complete name is
Silvio (first name) Cueto (father’s surname) Lopez (mother’s surname)
Mother’s complete name is
Grace Angela (first names) ??? (father’s surname) ??? / n/a (if applicable,mother’s surname)
Child’s complete name would be
??? (first name) Cueto (father’s surname) ??? (mother’s surname)
Usual Peruvian naming: first name(s), father’s first surname, mother’s first surname. All good.
Example 3
Father’s complete name is
Silvio (first name) Cueto (father’s surname) Lopez (mother’s surname)
Mother’s complete name is
Grace (first name) Cueto (you took your husband’s name, which now is considered as your father’s surname)
Child’s complete name would be
??? (first name) Cueto (father’s first surname) Cueto (mother’s first surname)
So, when you take your husband’s name, your surname is now considered being your father’s first surname, from the name making you his (half) sister. Your child will get the father’s first surname and the mother’s first surname (which, as you have taken your husband’s first surname, is again your husband’s name).
I hope, the topic is now clearer.
The documents you have to prepare for marrying are listed above. However, as they can vary a bit, best ask at the municipality where you plan to marry.
Greetings
Eva
