Do You Have To Change Your Last Name After Marriage

After obtaining a court society granting a name modify, you should update important identification records, including your driver'south license or other state-issued identification, Social Security card, and your passport. If yous inverse your name subsequently gender reassignment surgery or equally a consequence of adoption, you lot can update your birth certificate. If you got married or divorced and your proper name changed, there is no demand to update your birth document.

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If you would like to change your name on your birth certificate, here are the usual steps to do so, though they can vary in some details by state.

1. Obtain a copy of your proper name change order from the clerk of courts.

When you inverse your name, the judge signed and issued a court order. This certificate is the proof that you legally changed your name. Request a certified re-create of this order from the county clerk of courts. Expect to pay a fee to obtain a certified re-create, which differs from a standard copy because it bears the court'south seal or stamp.

2. Obtain a certified copy of your existing nascence certificate.

If you practise not have your original, certified re-create of your birth document, you may need to request one from your state's vital records function. It is common for states to require you to include your existing birth certificate when you asking to become a new one afterwards a proper name change.

In most states, yous tin apply for a certified copy in person or you lot tin can submit a request electronically. You need valid photograph identification and supporting documents that verify your identity to go a copy and likely must pay a fee. In some states, requestors tin can pay an additional fee to expedite requests for certified copies of existing birth records.

3. Gather additional supporting documents.

Your land may require additional supporting documents that show your sometime name across the court order changing it. Check with your state'south Department of Wellness or Vital Records Office to determine what else y'all need to submit with your asking to change your birth certificate. Some states accept the following supporting documents:

Military belch papers
School transcripts or school records
Passport
Marriage certificates
Baptism certificate
Tribal enrollment record
Social Security number history

Your country may not have all of these or may accept additional supporting document types. When in doubt, bank check your land's specific requirements.

4. Complete an application for a revised birth certificate.

Obtain an application class, called a petition in some states, to revise the birth certificate. Complete the form carefully, answering all required questions. In some states, applicants' signatures require notarization.

Submit your completed form forth with the certified re-create of your court-ordered proper noun alter, your original birth certificate, additional documentation as required, and the application fee.

Some states issue new nativity certificates showing the requestors' new names. In other states, you retain the original birth certificate but the state adds an amendment to it, showing your new name.

If you lot are prepare to change your name, an online service provider can aid. Another selection is to hire an chaser in your state. Later on the court grants your request, use the court order to alter your name as listed on your driver's license, passport, bank accounts, and other records.

This portion of the site is for informational purposes only. The content is not legal advice. The statements and opinions are the expression of author, non LegalZoom, and have not been evaluated by LegalZoom for accuracy, completeness, or changes in the law.