Want to keep your maiden name at work, but change names everywhere else? It's perfectly legal to be known by different names in different places.

Thanks to same sex marriage being legalised in 2018, this process is now much easier! If you're a groom taking your spouse's name you may encounter a few hiccups, but the same options are available to either spouse.

Marriage certificates issued by foreign government departments are not accepted as evidence of your new name by most Australian organisations. You'll need a legal name change with Births, Deaths and Marriages from the state where you were born.

Just married and want to change names in your passport? You can do this for free if you have at least 2 years remaining on your current passport. 

Regardless if you are changing your name as a bride or groom, your Marriage Certificate is the only legal document you need to present as evidence of your name.

You may be changing names from divorce, separation or perhaps you just want your old name back! Regardless of the reason, the process is much the same. You probably already have the documents needed to reclaim your former name!

Name change for children is quite common and can occur for a number of reasons: children may take a new surname as parents divorce or marry, spelling mistakes on birth certificates may be corrected or adopted children may take a new family name.

If you’re a NZ citizen living in Australia you can change names in either country. You’ll need to consider which country you have more accounts in, what passports you hold and where you intend to live in the future.

When changing your name with banks, credit providers and financial institutions it is a good idea to include a verified copy of your 100 points of ID with along with a verified copy of your marriage certificate.

You can change your name on the electoral roll via the form below unless you believe that having your name on a publicly available electoral roll may engender the safety of you or your family, in which case you will need to contact the Australian Electoral Commission

Hooray! This page is no longer necessary due to same sex marriage passing in 2018

There are a few steps involved in changing your name and it can take a little longer if you are changing your name legally. It can take around 2 weeks to lodge your application for a legal name change certificate, up to 8 weeks in processing, then you need to notify each organisation.

Whilst it is common for married name change to take place within a few months of a wedding, there is no legal time frame required.

Send your name change request to Medicare by email or post and include proof of your new name. You can instead change names over the phone. There's no special form to complete. You are no longer able to attend a Medicare office to change names. 

It’s free to update your passport provided you can show a BDM marriage or relationship certificate. If married abroad you will need a BDM legal name change certificate plus your foreign marriage certificate with an approved translation if applicable.

All kits are custom made for each client. The right kit depends on how many companies you need to notify, if you have a printer and how much time you want to save.