Things You Need to Know Before You Legally Change Your Name After Marriage

1. Things You Need to Know Before You Legally Change Your Name After Marriage There is no lawsuit in USA judiciary system that makes it compulsory for women or men to change their name after marriage. So, if you have walked the big aisle recently, it’s not mandatory to legally change your name after marriage. You can continue with your maiden name. Yet, it is more like a tradition that women change their last name and accept their spouse’s last name after tying knot with the man. Over last years, there is also a growing community of couples where men adapt their wife’s last name as their surname or maiden name. If it is a same sex marriage, one of them choose to change his or her last name post wedding so as to have a common family name and make identity of their coming children clear. It’s not really a tedious and complex process to legally change your name after marriage. You just need to have ability to be patient, spend a really good amount of time behind the task and have knowledge of the right steps in right sequence. Many newlyweds find it mind-numbing to work through lots of paperwork to get their name change done officially. While there are hundreds of articles over the web showing step-by-step procedure of changing name after marriage, it is strongly recommended that you do your research carefully and don’t hesitate consulting the experts of the niche, if required. Here it is worth remembering that rules of legal name change after marriage differ in every state. You need to enquire for the process followed by the state government you live in. This way you will get to know the rules and regulations you need to follow for your name change. Regardless of the state you live in, mostly your name change process involves filling some forms and visiting court. Moreover, a woman changing her surname immediately after her wedding will find the process easy and straightforward. But if both husband and wife are hyphenating their last name or opt for any other name change alternative, then the process may vary. What Are the Name Change Choices You Have After Marriage Don’t make your decision in rush. It is important to give a careful consideration to name change alternatives you have before you decide on one. Following are some legal name change alternatives you have.

2.  You can continue with your real maiden name  You can officially take your spouse’s last name as your own surname  You can also choose hyphenated name. A hyphenated name is a combination of your own last name with your spouse’s last name. However, such last name can be long and look awkward at times.  Getting a whole new name: You can take some part of your surname and combine with a part of your husband’s surname to make a new last name for both of you. Or you can choose a brand new last name.  You can legally change your name after marriage but can continue suing same maiden name in your professional circle and social media network.  You and your partner can take each other’s surname as their middle name.  You can make your last name your middle name and take your spouse’s last name as your official last name. Main Documents You Will Require In Name Change Process Following is a list of important documents you will have to keep ready before you begin with the legal name change process post your marriage.  3-4 certified and sealed copies of your marriage certificate  Birth Certificate  Social security number card  Driver’s license  State ID  Vehicle Registration and Title Where You Will Need to change Your Name  Social Security Number  Driving License  Passport Office  Bank Accounts & Investment Accounts  Health Cards  Registrar of voters  Utilities, Bills & Insurance  Social Media Accounts  Blog, email, Bio You may also need to update your doctor, postal service, employer or other relevant entity about your name change to avoid confusion later. If you already have kids, you may need to do name change process in their school too.

3. Discuss your viewpoint with your spouse and choose your name change alternative wisely. If you are going to legally change your name after marriage, choose a professional service like HitchSwitch to make things easier and faster for you. For more information visit: https://www.hitchswitch.com/Legally-Change-Your- Name