My half sister was married shortly to her last husband and took on his last name. She in turn had the last name changed and given to her first daughter (she had by someone else) and the the daughter she had with my ex brother-in-law. They are divorced now and she was awarded custody of both kids. The thing is, she dropped the both of them off at my parents place right afterwards and now we're raising them (it's been over 9 1/2 years now). My parents aren't named as the legal guardiand, but she does not keep contact at all and did drop them off herself. There's no way to contact her; we don't even know where she is. Both of my nieces are now at the age where they're being questioned and teased by school mates on their last names because it's different from my parents. How do we go about changing it so that they have their grand parents last name? Is this even possible without my half sister doing it herself? Please help.
2007-03-15 03:30:44 · 2 answers · asked by Sunshine 3 in Family & Relationships ➔ Family
File a petition with family court for custody. They have had the kids for 9 1/2 years so it shouldn't be a problem. It is a clear case of abandonment. This will allow them to file for a change of name for the children. The kids will be assigned an advocate to make sure their rights are represented, but overall it should go pretty smooth.
2007-03-15 20:22:57 · answer #1 · answered by D4gotten1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just tell them to start using it, instead of their other name. Then apply for a social security card for them in that name. Once they have the card, its perfectly legal.
Now, if you want to go through all the legal jazz, you need both their parents to relingquish their legal rights to their children before you can do anything. (Could take years.)
2007-03-15 04:00:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋