Divorce and Separation Name Change

Regardless if you are changing your name from either divorce or separation, the process is very much the same.

Name Change from divorce

Your divorce is issued by the court and you will be issued with a Divorce Order once it has been finalised.  All organisations will accept your Divorce Order as evidence of your prior name.  If you need a replacement Divorce Order you can obtain one from the Family Law Courts.

Reverting to your maiden name without divorce

When you took your husband's name after marriage chances are you didn't legally change your name.  Most likley you showed your marriage certificate as evidence of your new name.  This means you assumed your husband's name, and you are still entitled to be known by your prior name.

What documents do you need?

All organisations accept a certificate of divorce and will adjust your records accordingly. 

If your divorce is not yet finalised you are still entitled to be known by your prior name, providing you didn't lodge a legal name change application after marriage (this is usually only done by women getting married overseas).  You just need to prove the link between your married and prior name.  Where your history of names is straightfoward you can simply show your full marriage certificate and birth certificate as this proves the link between your maiden and married names.

Where you have been known by your birth name, your married name and one or more other names you need to show the link between all these names.  Documents from any Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages will be acceptable providing it shows a clear link between all your names.  Once you have legally changed your name you are unable to assume use of a name prior to that change.  In such a circumstance you would need to legally change your name.

Getting your documents

Organisations always need to see documents from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the case of divorce, a Divorce Order issued by the court.  If you don't have your RBDM Marriage or Birth Certificate you can download an application form as part of your Easy Name Change kit. 

The Easy Name Change guide which comes free with all Name Change kits provides more information on how to get your certificate.

Tips

If you are reverting to a prior name without being divorced get your passport and drivers licence changed into your prior name first.  Both the passports and licencing offices will allow you to revert to a prior name without being divorced and the process is very straight forward. 

If any organisations refuse your name change because you are not divorced you can then show updated government issued photo ID, and they will be quick to accommodate your change.

How do I notify organisations of my new name?

Once you've made the decision to revert to your prior name you need to notify all organisations where you hold an account, membership or identification.

Easy Name Change takes the hassle out of doing all the research and writing name change letters and faxes for each organisation.  Our personalised name change kits create all your name change requests in your name and with all your name change information.  We even provide you with any special name change forms your organisations may have.  In most cases all you need to do is add supporting documents where indicated, sign and send.

Click here to start creating your personalised name change kit.

Change Your Name The Easy Way™

Easy Name Change™ provides you a personalised and complete letter or fax for every company you need to notify of your new name. Our customers save around 6 hours as they don't need to do any research or letter writing. You don't even need to address an envelope!

Whether you are changing your name from marriage, divorce, separation or legally, Easy Name Change provides complete name change kits to suit any budget. Click here to start building your personalised name change kit.

Select Your Name Change Kit

	premium	personalised	basic
Company Contact Directory
Custom Name Change Forms
Covering all states & territories
Select from over 350 Organisations
Name Change requirements for every company
Personalised Name change letters
Windowed DL/DX Envelope Ready
All Letters, Forms & Envelopes printed & delivered ready for you to sign.
Secure Storage of Personal Data*
Instant Email Delivery**
Updated Regularly (Last Updated Jan 2012)
Moneyback Satisfaction Guarantee***
Cost (inc GST)	$69.95	$29.95	$14.95