The easy way: Use our name change notification kit to get personalized and ready to send name change notifications for your companies. In most cases you can attach your marriage certificate and send! There’s also going to be places where you need to log in to your account, visit a branch or call. Our company checklist explains each company’s process so you don’t waste time researching. 

Start here

The hard way: Yep. More lists. Start by doing an audit of all the places you may need to notify. This could be anywhere from 8 to over 50. Contact each one or research online to get their name change procedure.

Note all the requirements in your checklist – post and email addresses, proof documents, links to forms, important URLs, office opening hours and the steps.

Next, get busy writing letters and emails, completing forms and hammering the photocopier. Allow 20 minutes per company. If you have 25 companies then that’s 8 hours you could have saved with an Easy Name Change kit.

No matter which way you go, most banks and all state DMV’s need you to visit in person. Most people choose to also attend the SSA in person to save mailing original identification documents.

While each state is a little different, the majority of newlyweds can take any of these names by simply showing their marriage certificate:

• You can drop your surname and take your spouse’s
• You can add your spouse’s surname to your own. Names can appear in either order and can be separated by either a space or hyphen.
• You can move your birth surname to become a middle surname. Read more

A legal name change is needed if you:

• Want to change any part of your given name/s (other than moving your maiden name to become your middle name)
• Want a surname other that yours or your spouse’s
• Want to blend a part of each surname together to make a new name (except residents married in California)