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If you already have an official certificate issued by any Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM), Australian institutions will accept it as evidence of your new name.
This may include:
The document can be issued by any Australian state or territory BDM registry. It does not need to come from the state where you currently live or where the organisation is based.
If you have one of these documents, the main issue is not whether Australian organisations will accept your proof. The main issue is whether you can complete their name-change process while living overseas.
Foreign-issued documents are treated differently. Examples include:
Some Australian organisations may accept these documents, particularly smaller companies with flexible name-change procedures. However, Australian banks, superannuation funds and other organisations with strict identity requirements will commonly require a document issued by an Australian BDM registry.
Before trying to update Australian records using foreign-issued documents, check whether you are eligible to obtain an Australian BDM document.
You may be able to:
If you are eligible, obtaining an Australian BDM-issued document will usually be the easiest approach. It gives you one form of evidence that can be used consistently across Australian institutions.
Eligibility depends on factors such as where you were born, where the relevant event occurred and the residency rules of the state or territory where you apply.
If you are not eligible to obtain or apply for an Australian BDM-issued document, you may be limited in which Australian records and accounts you can update.
Some organisations may accept your foreign-issued document, while others may leave your account in your former name.
You may still be able to update records with organisations such as:
However, banks, superannuation funds and other organisations with stricter identity requirements may not accept a foreign-issued document.
If you do not intend to return to Australia, you may decide to leave some Australian accounts in your existing name. Keep copies of all documents linking your former and current names in case you need to access, close or transfer those accounts later.
If you plan to return to Australia, consider whether you will become eligible to apply for a legal change of name through an Australian BDM registry at that time. Once you have an Australian BDM-issued certificate, updating your remaining Australian records will be much easier.
Having an accepted Australian BDM document does not necessarily mean every name change can be completed from overseas. Each organisation has its own lodgement process. Some organisations allow you to:
Other organisations require you to attend in person.
Australian banks with multiple locations typically require you to visit a branch so staff can sight your original documents and record your new signature.
Australian driver’s licences cannot be updated from overseas. State and territory licensing authorities require you to attend a service centre in person with your original name-change documents and current licence.
This means you may have acceptable proof of your new name but still be unable to update every Australian record until you next visit or return to Australia.
Before lodging a name change from overseas, ask each organisation:
Easy Name Change kits are available to Australian residents and help you identify the organisations you need to notify, prepare name-change letters and complete relevant forms.
Customers must enter an Australian residential address when ordering. If you are currently living overseas, the kit may still help you plan your Australian name changes, but you should first confirm which organisations will accept an application lodged from abroad and which require you to attend in person.
If you have an Australian residential address and suitable proof of your new name, explore our Australian name change kits.