Changing name? A name change involves several steps…

People change their name for many reasons, ranging from marriages to immigration. As you might guess, the most common reason for name changes is marriage. The process of changing your name can be thought of as a two-part process: the first part consisting of legally changing your name and the second part involves notifying others of your name change, such as your bank, credit card company, frequent flyer programs and insurance providers. For name changes after marriage, many brides choose to change from their maiden name to their spouse’s last name. While this remains the most popular option, there are alternatives to changing a maiden name.

Whether you choose to change your name using our name change service or do it yourself, we highly recommend that you approach your name change in a methodical manner and inform all organizations to which you're affiliated. We’ve heard the countless stories from frustrated newlyweds about dealing with passports not matching airline tickets to the hassles of claiming frequent flyer mileage due to mismatched names.

step 1: officially changing your name

For government institutions and most companies to acknowledge your new name, you should start with changing your name on your Social Security card and driver's license (in that order). Because many states require that you update your name with the Social Security Administration (SSA) before they will update your driver's license (for verification purposes), we advise our clients to apply for a name change with the SSA first. If you are using Gold or Platinum packages, note that we provide state-specific instructions and forms, if available, to update your driver’s license and voter registration.

To apply for a (free!) updated social security card, we recommend visiting your local SSA office with an application form (available in our free Silver package) and required supporting documents. While you do have the option to mail the application, we do not recommend this because passports, original birth certificates and marriage licenses will need to be mailed to the SSA. No matter what service you choose, we are happy to provide specific instructions on what you need to do to change your name with the SSA, what you need to take with you and even help pre-fill the form.

Once you have applied for an updated Social Security card, you may proceed to update your name with other government organizations, starting with your state’s driver's license division. Some states require that you have an updated Social Security card in hand while others will accept a receipt from the SSA showing that you have applied for an updated card. As we understand the requirements of each state’s driver license divisions, we can provide state-specific instructions on updating your driver’s license. 

After the driver’s license, you can begin notifying other government agencies of your name change. We provide our clients forms to notify:

• U.S. Passport Agency

• Internal Revenue Service

• United States Postal Service

• Your state’s Voter Registration division

step 2: informing others

After you have officially changed your name, we recommend the important task of notifying companies to which you are affiliated that you have changed your name and, if necessary, your address. On average most women have to notify between 25 - 30 companies, each with different requirements to update records. Typically, banks are the most stringent (understandably so!) and most require an in-person visit, an original or certified copy of your marriage license and an updated Social Security card in your new name. We suggest that other companies to which you're affiliated be contacted in order to save yourself the tremendous hassle of managing multiple identities. Categories to keep in mind include:

• Banks

• Credit Card Companies

• Investment Providers

• Loyalty Programs (Airlines, Hotels, Car Rental Agencies)

• Insurance Institutions

• Mortgage Companies

• Medical Providers

• Utilities

• Communication and Entertainment (Internet, Cable, Satellite)

• Professional Associations and Licenses

• Other Memberships / Subscriptions

• Your employer.

While the entire process may seem overwhelming, tedious, and time consuming, it doesn't have to be. We at Name Change Express have researched numerous government and hundreds of companies’ requirements and are prepared to generate a personalized guidebook for you containing instructions and forms needed to update your name. We’ve thought of everything to make your job easier, down to our notification letters that contain the mailing address, if available, of respective companies. We've done all the hard work so you don’t have to. To learn more about the services we offer, click here.

With us, it will be a breeze to do your name change!