Are you thinking of getting a legal name change?

A legal name change is when a person wants to adopt a new name from their current name. Depending on which jurisdiction you reside in the forms and requirements may vary. Changing your legal name can be for different reasons. One reason could be you are getting married or you are getting a divorce or you just don’t like your current name for a reason such as a length. Depending on the reason you want to change your name could determine what action you take first.

If you are getting a name change due to marriage you must first contact the Social Security Administration. There is a form that needs to be filled out and a few documents need to be attached such as your marriage certificate. Once this is done you can proceed with the name change process. If you are not getting married and you are changing your name for other reasons you will need to complete a court petition with your local county. There is also a form that you would need to fill out. Depending on the state or county that you live in different types of supporting evidence may be required such a driver’s license. After you file your form there will be a scheduled hearing. Once you are at the hearing the judge will want to know why you want the name change and will ask you some questions. If the judge signs off your request you will receive a certified copy of the Order.

Once you have the Order you will need to submit a name change application with several different departments such as the Social Security Administration, any identification documents such as your driver’s license with the DMV or your passport, the bank, the credit card companies, your utility accounts any other relevant institution.  The process is long and you will need to make sure you do your due diligence to contact all applicable institutions. If you don’t have the time there are many resources that can help you. There are legal document assistances (LDA’s) that can take this daunting task for you.

Make sure to familiarize yourself with your state’s rules and procedures. Some states may require you to advertise your new name by publishing it in a newspaper. While other states do not even require you to file your name change in court. There are also some states like California that allow you to start using your new name under the state’s usage method. Of course, you would still need a court order to change your name for example, with the Social Security Administration or the bank or at the DMV.

You can hire a legal document assistant to do your legal name change but if you decide to do it on your own make sure to familiarize yourself with the rules in your county or state. If done correctly the process could go a lot faster and allow the process of changing your name on the institutions, you need quicker.