How-To: Change Your Name After Marriage
You've thought long and hard about whether taking your new husband's name is the right thing for you. Once the decision has been made in favor of a new last name, it's time to take the necessary steps to make the swap. Follow my tips to make sure you don't miss any of the important pieces to changing your name — you'll avoid annoying complications later on.
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I actually found it was easiest to do the passport and SS card first before the drivers license, because of the documentation requirements for a NJ drivers license.
Also, make a ton of copies of your marriage license and make up a standard letter to send to utilities, credit card companies, banks, frequent flier programs, magazine subscriptions, etc.
1I am totally dragging my feet on this. This is good info!
2After reading all that, I'm even more relieved that I can't change my name. If you live in Quebec (which I do), you have to go by your maiden name.
3I'm glad I'm already over that. I chose to go by my husband's last name. I don't remember the process being that complicated but then again, that was a few years ago.
4supercoolnat — That's good to know! Because states may vary, it's a good idea to get in touch with your DMV (or visit the website) to make sure you're doing things in the best order.
5I kept my last name (with my husband's blessing). I did this for personal reasons, and I'm glad I got to dodge this process.
6Eeeesh, this process looks complicated - I can't believe women still change their names!
7I am not changing my last name. I refuse to change it. So what if we are divorced? Then I have to change my last name again?
8It seems like a daunting process, but it's not. Just a bit time-conuming because you may have to do some things in person (i.e. DMV). The only other thing I would add on there is to make sure you change over any weird online things as the final step -- for example, your Amazon or iTunes accounts and any frequent flier programs you use.
9Hello. I think the article is really interesting. I am even interested in reading more. How soon will you update your blog?
10Changing your name isn't that hard really. I used a site called MrsForever that offers helpful free instructions and links to forms you can download. It was pretty simple to follow, gave me a place to start and helped me keep track of the process.
11This process looks like a pain in the butt. A friend suggested I should look at a service called NameChangeExpress.com. They look very different from other services - any thoughts?
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