You’ve selected your photo prints and wedding albums, ordered your wedding thank you cards and spoken to a dry cleaner about preserving your wedding gown. There’s just one last step to cross off your post-wedding to-do list: that tedious name change after marriage.
For many couples, the marriage name change is the final big step to show the world that you are partners forever. But once you’ve made the decision to do so, you may be wondering exactly how to change your name after marriage.
Trust us, while not exactly easy, it won’t be the hardest thing you have to endure as a couple — not by a long shot. Especially not if you follow our handy guide.
Marriage Name Change: To Do or Not?
To change your name or not to change your name…that is the real question that pops into most newlywed’s heads as they are on their way back from their honeymoon. But here’s the thing: you don’t have to change your name after marriage. However, if kids are in the cards, you may find it convenient for both parents to share a last name with their children. There are pros and cons to a marriage name change, and the choice is up to every couple.
Pros to the Marriage Name Change
- You want you, your spouse, and your children to share the same name.
- One person’s name might be easier to spell, less common, or simply more appealing. If you like your partner’s last name, that’s reason enough to change yours.
Cons to the Marriage Name Change
- If you are already well-established professionally, you may want to keep your pre-wedding name.
- You view your name as part of your identity and don’t want to change it.
- You don’t want to go through the hassle of changing your names on your license, social security card, credit cards, and all your accounts.
Yours, Mine, Or Ours?
A name change after marriage doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition, either. You can choose to hyphenate your name and your significant other’s name into one or use both last names without a hyphen.
You can even create a completely new last name from portions of each of your last names — as long as that’s the new name written on the marriage certificate, the process should be the same.
How to Change Your Name After Marriage
So, how do you change your name after marriage? It takes a little time and a few trips to everyone’s favorite government offices — the social security office and the Department of Motor Vehicles. But it isn’t hard.
You can change your name after marriage in three easy steps:
- Make sure you have an original of your marriage license with the official, raised seal. It should be mailed to you shortly after the wedding. If you don’t receive it, call or stop by the town hall or the district clerk’s office to get one.
- You’ll need to print, fill out, and mail an application for a new social security card to the social security office. Make sure to include documentation of your name change, such as the marriage license or a court order approving the name change (if you’ve selected an entirely new name for both partners). It can take up to 10 business days for your new card to arrive.
- Change your last name on your driver’s license by bringing your new social security card, your marriage license, and your current driver’s license to your local DMV. Again, you can’t complete this process online.
Within a few weeks, you’ll have photographic proof of your new name to show to the bank, your credit card providers, utility companies, and anywhere else that has your name on file to change your name in their records too. You’ll also need to change your name with your employer, on your passport, and with any airlines so you can transfer your frequent flyer miles.
Finally, it’s time to update your wardrobe and accessories. After all the hard work of changing your name, reward yourself with some monogrammed items sporting your new initials.
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