Do you need to include your full middle name on your passport?

by Jennifer
(Maryland)

Question: My husband filled out a new passport application and mailed it, but did not make a copy. We need to order airline tickets for travel in the Dominican Republic and he can't remember how he filled out his middle name.

I was curious if you have to include your "full" middle name on your passport? Would a middle initial be acceptable. Also, does it matter how your middle name appears on the airline ticket/boarding, if at all? Thank You.

Answer: A middle initial is acceptable on your passport.

TSA's Secure Flight Program asks passengers to enter their names as they appear on their government ID (i.e., passport). You should try to use the same name on your passport and flight reservations. Once you receive your boarding pass, the Secure Flight process is already complete.

The TSA website staes, "At the security checkpoint, TSA strives to ensure your identification and boarding pass are authentic and validate you are who you say you are. Small differences in the name on the boarding pass and ID, like middle initials, should not impact your travel. It is not uncommon for the information printed on boarding passes to differ slightly from the information on IDs, depending on the boarding pass printing practices of individual airlines."