How Soon Should I Change Names?

Married name change

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.  A bride can change from their maiden name to their married name years after their wedding.  Conversely, you can revert to your maiden name at any time, regardless of your marital status.

Divorce name change

After a divorce you can choose to continue to be known by your married name, or you can revert to the name you immediatley held before you were married. If you have been married more than once before you can choose to be known by your birth name, providing you have never undertaken a legal name change.

In a recent survey of our customers, we found that divorce name change occurs anywhere from a few months, up to 20 years after the divorce.  Many women retain their married name until their children grow up, or they or their ex husband enter a new relationship.

Separation name change/Reverting to maiden name without divorcing

Whe you took your husband's name after marriage, you never legally changed names, you simply assumed his name.  This means you never gave up the right to be known by your former name.  You are free to reclaim use of your former name at any time and for any reason; you don't need to be divorced or separated. 

As each organisation can set their own name change procedures and requirements, many will insist on seeing a certificate divorce as it simplifies their administration.  If you are reclaiming your prior name without getting divorced we recommend you update government issued photo ID, such as your passport and/or drivers licence, then use this together with your birth certificate as evidence of your preferred name.

You may reclaim use of your prior name at any time, but the process may take a little longer and you may need to be more methodical and persistant as organisations are more likley to require a detailed explanation and more supporting evidence.

Legal name change

If you are legally changing your name you need to start using your new name immediately and for all purposes.  You will need to update your passport and driver’s license as soon as practical.

The time betwene changing names and updating organisaitons hasn't been quantified, but we recommend all your accounts and identification should be under your new name within 2 months of your name change being granted.

How Easy Name Change can help

Researching the name change procedure for about 15 organisations requires about 4 hours of ringing around and waiting on hold. Then yuo'll probably have about 6 letters to write and need to wait for 2 or 3 forms to be delivered.  We can remove all this hassle and provide you with comprehensive name change procedures, forms and name change notifications, and it only takes about 15 minutes to organise.

Take hours off your leg work and let Easy Name Change provide all the information you need to have your records updated in one hit, and for around the price of a trip to the movies!

Change Your Name The Easy Way™

Easy Name Change™ provides you a personalized 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 personalized name change kit.

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