If you married in Australia and assumed your spouse’s surname, you can return to your former surname without registering a new legal name.
You do not need to be separated or divorced first. However, you will need documents that connect your married name with your former name.
What documents do you need to return to your former name?
For most people, the clearest proof is:
- your official Australian marriage certificate, and
- your Australian birth certificate or citizenship certificate showing your former name
- An Australian divorce order is also universally accepted in place of your birth or citizenship certificate
The marriage certificate connects your former and married surnames. Your birth or citizenship certificate shows your entitlement to use the former name. There is no requirement to be divorced or separated.
While the combination of documents listed above are universally accepted, organsiations may ask for additional proof to establish your identity, such as government issued photo ID.
If a company has your former name is already recorded in their system, you may not need to send any proof, and can simply ask to go back to the name previously recorded.
Does your wedding certificate count?
You must have the official marriage certificate issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state or territory where you married.
The ceremonial certificate signed on your wedding day is not accepted by many government agencies and financial institutions as proof of a name change.
If you no longer have your official marriage certificate, you can order a replacement copy from the relevant state or territory registry.
What if you have been married more than once?
You may need to provide a chain of certificates connecting every surname you have used.
For example, if your birth certificate establishes your name, your first marriage certificate shows a different name and your second marriage certificate shows your current surname, you may need both marriage certificates to connect all three names.
Divorce orders or death certificates may also be requested when they are relevant to the organisation or application. The exact requirements vary, so check the instructions for each organisation rather than sending every document automatically.
Easy Name Change provides the proof requirements for each selected organisation as part of your personalised name change kit. If you have a complicated history of names, we recommend ordering the certified kit as we will guide you through the exact identity documents based on your history and the companies you have chosen.
What if the name you want is not on your birth or citizenship certificate?
Returning to a name becomes more complicated if the name you want to use does not appear on your Australian birth certificate, citizenship certificate, marriage certificate or previous registered change-of-name certificate.
You may need to formally register a legal name change in the state or territory where you were born. If born overseas, apply where you currently reside.
This can apply if:
- you want to use a completely new surname
- you want to change your first or middle names
- you previously used a name without formally registering it
- your Australian citizenship certificate was issued in your married name and your earlier name cannot be established using accepted Australian identity documents
- you formally registered a different name after marrying
What if you married overseas?
Overseas marriage certificates are usually not accepted by financial institutions or Australian government authorities. Most people married overseas apply for a legal name change to take their spouse’s surname. If you have applied for a legal name change, you are unable to return to any name you used prior to that application without applying for a new legal name change.
If you were married overseas and took your spouse’s surname in Australia without having applied for a legal name change we recommend contacing us. It will be difficult to revert to your former name as you do not have an Australian marriage certificate, and you may be ineligible for a legal name change.
Can you choose a completely new name after divorce?
Yes, but you will need to apply for a legal name change.
Around 10% of Easy Name Change customers changing their name after divorce choose an entirely new name instead. It can be very liberating!
Start notifying organisations
Once you have confirmed the name you want to use and gathered the documents connecting your names, you can begin updating your records.
An Easy Name Change kit gives you personalised forms, letters, emails and instructions for the organisations you select. Each instruction explains what proof to provide and whether the organisation requires a copy, certified copy, original document, online upload or in-person visit.
Where your instructions refer to proof of name change, this may mean several documents used together to connect your married and former names.
Where can you order replacement certificates?
Birth and marriage certificates are issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state or territory where the event was registered.
Easy Name Change can include the relevant certificate application forms in your personalised kit.
If your Australian divorce was finalised after 13 February 2010, you can generally download your official divorce order free through the Commonwealth Courts Portal. Older divorce orders and divorces granted in Western Australia may follow a different process.
Ready to return to your former name?
You do not need to wait until your divorce is finalised. Easy Name Change provides the forms, personalised notifications and company instructions you need to start updating your records.
