First/Given & Last/Family or Surname


SK1968

Senior Member
Jun 20, 2009
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Changi
When we make online bookings, eg, air tickets, we often have to fill in the fields for First and Last names where it is understood that First=Given name and Last=Surname/Family name.

Example,

Mr Chow Kim Yan's last/surname/family name is 'Chow' while his first/given name is 'Kim Yan'.

But as he keys in his last and first names accordingly, the printout shows 'Kim Yan Chow' instead of 'Chow Kim Yan' as it is shown on his ID such as Passport.


Question is:

Will he be denied check-in/boarding/entering of foreign country when his boarding pass is checked against his passport ?
Anyone any encounter/experience to share ?

Tks.
 

I had similar name reverse on several occasion, and had not got any problem on check in or imigration.
 

Shouldn't be a problem.... explain when asked, that in Asia, Family Name goes before Given Name. Thats about it. At places I goes before on buget airline.... custom hardly give a da** due to their low pay.... and have never ask anything.... :sweat:
 

Shouldn't be a problem.... explain when asked, that in Asia, Family Name goes before Given Name. Thats about it. At places I goes before on buget airline.... custom hardly give a da** due to their low pay.... and have never ask anything.... :sweat:

haha, monkeys working on peanut pay :) tks.
 

this is very common....nothing ever happen to me for all my oversea trip...
 

Family name first is peculiar to Chinese names, most have it at the end, thats why you see it like that.
 

Shouldn't be a problem.... explain when asked, that in Asia, Family Name goes before Given Name. Thats about it. At places I goes before on buget airline.... custom hardly give a da** due to their low pay.... and have never ask anything.... :sweat:

This is not necessary correct in referring to all Asia.

Some parts of Asia use the format of the Given Name and then followed by Family Name/Surname.

In Singapore, the air tickets that I book use my first name as Family Name and my middle and surname are combined together to make up a Given Name (this is totally wrong for me and I blamed it on ticketing system).
But everytime I fill up immigration form, I always use my first and middle name as the Given (and Middle) name and the Surname as family Name.

The important thing is that it should better have any printed documents match the name in your passport. This will create less questions or even none at all.