How to Do a Legal Name Change After You Get Married
Once the festivities are over and you are back from your honeymoon, it is time to deal with the more mundane details of having just gotten married. Perhaps the most frustrating of them all is changing your legal name.
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Instructions
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First and foremost you need an official copy of your marriage certificate or license, depending on your jurisdiction. Your next step should be to take it over to a Social Security Administration office (any one that is convenient for you will work). You need to change your name on your Social Security card in order to legally change your name with the federal government.
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Next, look up the requirements for getting a new drivers license at your local Department of Motor Vehicles. You usually need several forms of identification, your marriage certificate/license, and some prove of your residency. Be sure to bring everything or you will be turned away empty-handed. Once you have your new driver's license, the process gets a little quicker.
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After you have your new name on your driver's license and your Social Security card, you just have to start taking those plus you marriage certificate to every bank where you hold an account, to an university you currently take classes at, to your employer so you can change your records there, and to anywhere else where your name needs to be updated.
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Whether or not you update your passport immediately is up to you. Don't try to before you go on your honeymoon! Rule of thumb - if you've had your passport less than a year, then it is free to change your name on it. Otherwise, they treat it just as you would a normal passport renewal. So, as long as you book foreign travel in your maiden name, you can use your old passport until it expires and then use your marriage certificate to correct your name when you renew. It may help to leave one credit card in your maiden name until you do this as well to avoid travel-related problems.
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Tips & Warnings
After you get your license and social security cards changed, you can take your time about the others.
Always call ahead to check on identification and documentation requirements.
Always review your new documents to make sure your new name is correct.
Be very careful traveling while doing your name change. Be sure all tickets are in the name for which you carry the necessary identification. Your marriage certificate will not suffice in the airport.
