Changing Your Name

When I got married, I chose to change my name. To do so, I went to my local Social Security Administration office and presented my marriage certificate with other supporting documents, including an application, my birth certificate, and my ID. Similarly, after a divorce or dissolution, your divorce decree or Judgement Entry for Dissolution/Divorce will have a clause allowing your name to be restored to your maiden name. As such, you can go to your local Social Security Administration office and present your decree along with any other supporting documents required to start the name changing process.

I received my new social security card in the mail a couple of weeks later, and then I went to change my driver’s license. Similar to the Social Security Administration office, I went to my local BMV and brought my new Social Security card and supporting documentation. I also chose to renew my passport at this time, so I made an appointment at my local USPS location and then appeared with my new Social Security card and supporting documentation.

After I took these steps, it was time to notify many entities, including bank and credit card companies, any loan holding companies, utility and telephone companies, insurance companies, my local post office, and my employer. I also updated my voter registration at this time. Although not applicable to me, it would also be important to take steps to update any naturalization or citizenship certificates, as well as any veteran or other state benefit programs. If you own property, you should also notify your state and city/county property tax office for property tax purposes.

I also chose to update my email address to reflect my new name. I set up mail forwarding on my old email address, so that I would not miss any important emails. I then began the very long process of changing my email address on every single online account I have. I would still catch some accounts being attached to my old email months and even years later.

Changing your name can be a long and tedious process, but it is important to make sure that all of your legal documents are consistent and reflect your new legal name.