There are many legal matters to attend to following any wedding, one of them is making sure that your passport is updated. Just because you are married now, however, doesn’t mean that you have to change every form of ID in your safe. ETS San Diego expedite visa and passport agency, shows you why it may be necessary to change the name on your passport after marriage.

If you take your partner’s last name

Legally you can get married without changing your name. If you should, however take your spouse’s surname or even hyphenated version of both- your passport must reflect this change. This would be no different than legally changing your name in front of a judge for any other reason.

If you need to change the name that is presented on your passport book or card, it is important that you go through the proper procedure to make sure that you don’t have to keep applying for the supplementary paperwork or wait for the documents to be processed. Once you have married, legally change your name by choice or for other reasons, like gender change- you will have to update all your forms of ID like your driver’s license and US passport.

How do I change my name on my passport after marriage?

The forms that you’ll use and the method for notifying the US Department of State varies depending upon your situation before your marriage.

In case you never applied for a passport before your wedding in your old name then you can simply use the DS-11 Form at an Express Travel Service San Diego US office or other regional passport agency along with a marriage certificate and other documents. These documents should certify the change in your name if it differs from the one given to you on your birth or naturalization certificate.

If you have already applied for a passport card or book, and are currently using your old name on your travel documents, the timing of the application determines what you need to do to request a name change.

For those who have had their passport for at least a year and then discovered they need to change their name to legally travel- must use the form DS-82 to renew their passport book or card with the new last name. In this case, however, there are some restrictions applicable-

  • First, your passport book or card must not be damaged·
  • Second, your passport book or card must not be on the brink of its expiry date for more than 5 years.

The passport in your possession must be a ten-year document, not the 5-year ones which are issued to those under sixteen. Newlyweds who have renewed or applied for a new ten-year passport in the last year- they can fill out DS-5504 form and send their original passport, passport-sized photo and certification of the name change by the mail to the US Department of State. There are no fees required in such situation.

Regrettably, in case your passport was hand out more than fifteen years ago or has been misplaced or stolen, you must apply for your name change in person at a regional passport agency using Form DS-11. All others meeting the above-mentioned requirements can apply for a passport renewal by mail.

How long will it take to change my name on the passport?

There is no significant difference in processing time between applying for change in name after a marriage on your passport as compared to getting it renewed. If you apply by mail, it may take several weeks or days (if you are lucky enough).

People applying in personal at a regional passport office can pay for expedited service and provide proof of immediate travel. If any doubts, contact ETS passport and visa services for assistance.

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