Passport name change

[Juliet25]

Can someone walk me through this process? I found some info on-line, but it doesn't explain much.

What is a "certified copy" of my marriage license? Where do I get this done?

Do I really just send my passport to an agency? Is there a way I can do this in person?

For anyone's who's interested, here's a link to the government site on name changes. Thanks!

http://travel.state.gov/name_change.html

 

[RickW]

I may not be able to answer all of your questions, but I should be able to help a bit since my wife just did this a couple months ago.

When they say certified copy, they mean one that you get directly from the county. (In other words, you can't just take your marriage licence to Kinko's and send off that copy.) In the county we got married in, the "original" marriage certificate is kept on file, and when we filed it they made a copy on their "certificate" paper and it had a stamp on it that said something like "official copy."

When my wife renewed her passport back in November, she just filled out the renewal form and sent that with her old passport, the copy of the marriage certificate that we got from the county, a check, and the new photos. We did the faster service, and got everything back, plus the new passport in about a week. I would make a copy (just a regular one) to keep while your "official" copy is away, or at least make a note of the number on it, because if the county you got married in is like the one we got married in, you can order another copy of your certificate from their website.

 

[LisaFB]

I actually just bought myself a "Name Change Kit" from The Knot since I'll be changing my name after my August wedding. This kit not only included all the forms you would need, it also gives you exact instructions on where/ how to do everything and what you need. This kit only costs about $20. My one suggestion is that if you mail any of your documents (which you can do for just about all of them), send it certified.

 

[Lisa F]

I did the name change on my passport a couple of years ago but here's what I remember (that is different than what others have said):

Yes, you can bring your passport to an agency. I brought mine to one here in DC. I cannot remember for the life of me if they did the ammendment right away or if they held it and sent it back to me. I THINK they sent it back to me but within a very short time because I paid for it to be expedited.

You don't need a whole new passport with pictures etc (unless you are already renewing anyway) in order to get the name changed. They have pages for ammendments and they basically type your new name and put a raised seal on it.

Lisa

 

[Juliet25]

It sounds so complicated!! I was worried that I wouldn't get my original passport back. I want to keep my stamps!!

Maybe I'll just go the birth certificate/photo id route.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by Juliet25

I was worried that I wouldn't get my original passport back. I want to keep my stamps!

I understand the desire, but when you get a new passport, they keep the old one.

 

[Lisa F]

Originally posted by Dave_from_Marietta
I understand the desire, but when you get a new passport, they keep the old one.

Actually, when you renew your passport they send back your old one with two holes punched through the numbers at the bottom of the front cover with the photo and in the page right above that with your signature, they have a big red "CANCELLED" stamp with the date of the new application written in by hand. I have 2 expired passports and my husband has one.

Is this a change since sept 11? If it is, it's VERY recent because my husband got a passport in November of this past year and received both the old one and the new one in the mail.

I also pulled out my new passport to see where the name change is and the very last page of the passport (behind where you get all of your stamps) is a page for "amendments and endorsements". I have a typed message there that says:

This passport was amended Apr 21, 2000 to change the bearer's name to read <My Married Name>.

There is a rubber stamp with the signature of the regional director of the state department at the washington passport agency and the raised seal of the state dept.

Actually, it's not complicated at all and I remember being surprised at how easy it was to get it done. I have been to europe since then and never had a problem with it!

Lisa

 

[RickW]

I agree with Lisa. The passport process always seems a lot more complicated than it really is. And look at it this way, you only have to go through this name change process once. If you just do the ID/Birth certificate thing, you will still probably have to go through the name change at some point anyway. My wife still had a couple years left on her passport, but she went ahead and renewed when she did her name change. That way she won't have to do a name change now and then a renewal in a year or two. It just seemed easier, even though it might be a "waste" of $5-$10. (Figure that your passport costs you about $4-$5 per year)

BTW, Both my wife and I got our old passports back (with the holes punched in them) when we renewed in November (2001).

 

[LisaFB]

I'm on my third passport (my first two have already expired) and I always got my old ones back. In fact, I love having them because of all the stamps in them, I consider them souvenirs!

I'm going to do what Rick's wife did when it comes time to change my name. I'm going to totally renew my passport, even though I still have a few years left on it. I think it'll be easier to just do it once and get it over with.