Divorce Name Change – Passport

Passports less than one year old

If your passport and your divorce both occurred within the last 12 months you can apply for a free replacement passport in your new name. File form DS-5504 by mail, or call ahead to book a time to file in person at an acceptance facility. Request your former name is restored as part of your divorce proceedings then present the court order granting your name change with your passport application. Access to form DS-5504 and all other necessary name change forms are included in all Easy Name Change kits.

Passports issued more than 12 months ago

Full replacement fees of $130 for a passport book and/or $30 for a passport card are payable. File form DS-82 by mail or in person at any acceptance facility. You must have either an order restoring your former name or a divorce decree listing both names. Access to form DS-82, all other agency forms and comprehensive name change information is included all of our name change kits.

Didn’t request a name change order?

If you did not request an order restoring your former name or were not issued a divorce decree listing both names you may still be able to change names, providing your state DMV allows you to revert to your former name with only a divorce decree. If so, apply for your name change with the SSA then update your passport using form DS-11. If the DMV does not accept a divorce order that lists only your married name then you may have no choice but to apply for a legal name change.

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If changing names without a court order we recommend prioritizing the SSA followed by a replacement passport. You can revert to your former name with the SSA providing you have acceptable identification documents in both your married and former names. Once the SSA is updated apply for a new passport.

Now you have proof of your name change with both the SSA and updated photo ID, all other organizations should accept your name change. It is a good idea to take a number of photocopies of your old passport or driver’s license and have them certified as true copies when you present in-person to a passport acceptance facility to apply for a name change. Many organizations will only accept your divorce decree as evidence of name change if you can also show SSA correspondence and government photo ID under both your old and new names. If you surrender your old passport without having a copy it may hinder your name change.

When to change names on your passport

You don’t need to update your passport immediately after your divorce is granted. You may wait until your current passport expires so that you make use of all remaining time on your existing passport. Passports can take up to six weeks to be processed, occasionally longer in the lead-up to major vacation periods. Be sure you have no pending travel arrangements under your prior name before applying for a new passport.

If you’re changing names without a court order (ie: using your divorce decree with other documents) you may be best to prioritize your passport as it can be used as evidence of your name change with other organizations.

Ready to start changing names now?

The typical divorcee needs to notify 22 different organizations when changing names. The SSA, driver’s license and passport should be prioritized and Easy Name Change can provide all the forms and information for these agencies and hundreds more in any of our kits. We’ll have most companies you need to contact, and perhaps a few more you hadn’t thought about. Save yourself around 8 hours of waiting on hold, searching for forms and figuring out what to send where with our personalized kits.

 

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