Changing Names Checklist
Depending on the country you live in, there are many options to choose from when changing names after marriage: take your wife’s name, hyphenate your name, make your maiden name as middle name…
However, if you decide to change your name, you need to know that this is a complex process that can take quite some time and involves several bureaucratic hurdles!
This checklist will help you by pointing out the most important steps for changing your names, as well as the different institutions that you’ll need to contact.
- Check local City Hall requirements (before the wedding)
- Decide whether you want: your wife’s name, hyphenate, maiden and married name
- Ask for several legal marriage certificates (not copies but real ones)
Institutions to notify:
- Social Security Administration (SS card)
- Voter registration
- Financial institutions (credit cards, checks…)
- Insurance companies
- Tax agencies (such as IRS)
- Membership organizations
- Human Resources department at work
Additional documents to renew:
- Passport
- Driver’s license
- Vehicle documents
Tip #1: If you think that changing names is going to be too complicated and make you waste long hours waiting in queues and dealing with bureaucracy, you can use the services of a third party specialized on this topic.
Tip #2: Book your honeymoon using your maiden name (since your passport, driver’s license etc. will still have your maiden name on them).
If you liked this checklist, take a look at our most dateiled and complete wedding timeline checklist.
Or feel free to check our recommended wedding vendors.
Lovely blog! Thanks for the useful information.