How to Do a Name Change After Marriage

If you decide to change your name after you are married, be aware that several legal steps must be taken.

Some women opt to change their names after marriage so that they feel like more of a cohesive unit with their husband and future children. Changing your name, however, involves more than simply updating your name on a social networking site. While a name change is not typically a complicated process, several legal steps must be taken before your name is technically updated.

Things You'll Need

• Marriage license

Instructions

1. Get a certified marriage license from the office where you went to file it in the first place. Make sure it has a raised seal, which will mean that it is an authentic copy, rather than a copy.

2. Go to your local Social Security office to get a new social security card. You can also call the national Social Security toll-free number at 800-772-1213 to request a new card. Your new social security card will be free.

3. Go to your local department of motor vehicles to get a new drivers license. Take your new Social Security card and your marriage license so that they have two forms of identification with your new name.

4. Notify any other institutions with which you need to change your name. Some of these will need a copy of your new Social Security card or your marriage license, while others will simply require a phone call. For example, speak to your bank, your credit card companies, your voter registration agency, your employer and your utility companies. Also, remember to change your name on your passport.

Tips & Warnings

• Most brides that are pressed for time use a name change service, such as Name Change Express (http://www.NameChangeExpress.com).

References

• The Knot: Postwedding To Dos: How to Change Your Name After the Wedding