It is not something new that a woman wants to change their name after marriage. It is a harmless tradition that has been in practice by most women for centuries. According to Simon Duncan, this tradition comes from the idea that a woman in marriage becomes the possession of her husband.
All across the globe, both eastern and western couples change their surnames. A study conducted in 2016 concludes that in America when a woman gets married, she adopts the husband’s family name. Almost 70 percent of women follow the tradition of changing their name after marriage.
In Britain, this ratio is almost 90%. This 90 percent of women changing their names lies between the age group 18 to 30.
Is There Any Time Limit For a Name Change After Marriage?
There is no time limit for changing your name after you get married. It can be done anytime and there is no restriction. Couples are usually busy after they get married and the paperwork from their wedding also takes time to process.
Changing a name after marriage requires a lot of work and some basic steps. This is the first step, you realize that marriage is not only about excitement and spending good times, it comes with great responsibility too. For most couples changing the name becomes a nightmare, as they don’t know how to do it.
Steps to Change Your Name After Marriage
It takes some time to change your name. The first thing you should do is to stay patient. Next, you have to follow these seven steps:
Get your marriage certificate
Your marriage certificate is a legal document that proves your legal relationship with your spouse. It also shows the specific location and date. Collect the hard copy of your marriage certificate. This would be required multiple times during the process.
A marriage certificate or a certified copy is sent by the wedding officiate via mail in two to three weeks. They charge you a little fee. The total amount of fee and delivery time varies across the globe.
Get a new Social Security card
The SSA is the issuing agency for your new Social Security card. This is your first step for changing your name after the wedding as all the government agencies are linked to the database of the SSA. Remember, if a lady does not register her name with the SSA, other government offices will not allow her to change her name.
Get a new driver’s license or state ID card plus update the vehicle title and registration
When a married woman receives her updated Social Security card, she shall go to the department of motor vehicles to update her driving license or identification card issued by the state.
Also, update the vehicle title and registration that takes a few weeks to arrive.
Update your Passport
It is important to update your parcel if you have to travel abroad. The standard processing for a passport takes six weeks and almost three weeks for expedited service.
Update your voter registration information
It can be done by sending a mail to the National Voter Registration Application or by visiting vote.gov.
Update your name with the United States Postal Service (USPS)
Change your name and location if you have changed it after marriage. Visit moversguide.usps.com for more info.
Update your bank accounts and credit union accounts
Visit your bank with your marriage certificate and the latest photo ID and change your name on the bank account. You shall also put a request for updated credit cards with your new name.