Changing Your Name

Many women choose to change their last name after the wedding...but where do you start?

Before you can file anything...you need a certified copy of your marriage license.

However, you can get information ready prior to your wedding. Many people need to contact the following agencies for a name change.

• Social Security Administration
• Passport
• Department of Motor Vehicles (Driver’s License)
• Employer and/or School
• Financial and Credit Card companies
• Insurance companies
• Utility companies

A good rule of thumb is to look through your mail and see who continues to send you mail to your old name. Contact these institutions and send them the necessary paperwork to get your name changed. This can be a time-consuming process, but it is necessary to prevent major headaches down the road!

A couple of other tips...

• Wait until you return from your honeymoon, if you are taking one. You will need your legal documents to travel and it can take weeks or months to get a new driver’s license or passport.
• Change your driver’s license and social security card first. Once you have these documents changed, it is much easier for you to change your name other places.
• Tell your employer or school about your name change before your wedding. They can have your new email address or business cards ready after your wedding.

Visit www.idoido.org/namechange for links to help you change your name!