How to change your name after you get married
The first thing you need to know is that you don’t HAVE to change your name when you get married, but if you do choose to, you have three options.
What options do we have?
Krisleen and Michael with their son, Spicers Sangoma Retreat
1. You can take your spouse's last name. For example, if Kate Weasley marries Laura Potter, Kate could choose to change her name to Kate Potter or Laura could change her name to Laura Weasley. And yes, some grooms have been known to change their names as well!
2. You can combine both of your last names to create a hyphenated combination of both of your last names. For example, the hyphenated surname options for Laura and Kate would be Weasley-Potter or Potter-Weasley. Either Laura or Kate or both of them could change to the new hyphenated last name.
3. You can use both your birth name and your spouse’s last name in different circumstances. For example, Claire Dowler is a well-known journalist. She marries Casey Lloyd and decides to use his surname - but not for work.
What if we want to create an entirely new last name between us?
In this case, you would need to go through a legal name change process via the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) in the state or territory in which you were born.
Tip: If you do decide you’d like to change to an entirely new last name, it’s easiest for one of you to legally change your surname before the wedding, then the other person can use their official BDM marriage certificate to change their last name using the process below.
How long do we have?
While most people are really excited about changing their last name and do so within the first few months of getting married, there is no rule about the timeframe. You can can change from your birth name to your married name years after your wedding. Similarly, you can resume your birth surname at any time, regardless of your marital status.
Once you’re married and have decided to change your last name, it's your responsibility to get all your accounts, memberships and identification changed into your new name.
Tip: If you’re travelling for your honeymoon or within a few months of getting married, think about waiting until you return to change your name. Flights, passports, accommodation are probably all in your birth-name.
What do I need to change my name?
On your wedding day, you will receive a presentation marriage certificate. It is a legal document. However, you won’t be able to change your name using this certificate. It’s proof that you’re legally married; it is NOT proof that your marriage is registered.
And proof of the registration of your marriage is what you must have in order to change your name. That proof is called a Standard Marriage Certificate.
How do I get my Standard Marriage Certificate?
After your wedding ceremony, I come home, log into my account with NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages, and I register your marriage. At this point, and for the next two weeks, I can request a Standard Marriage Certificate for the fee charged by BDM. They generally arrive via registered post within two weeks.
What’s the process?
The same process applies to everyone
No matter how you decide to get your research and paperwork done, follow these simple steps to start changing names:
Make sure you have your Marriage Certificate from BDM
Visit Services NSW, Medicare and some larger banks in person to update your details
Make a list of every organisation where you hold a record and set aside time to call each one to ask the procedure.
Or, if you can't be bothered making phone calls, Easy Name Change already have the name change procedures for hundreds of organisations. It's free to browse their database of over 650 companies. They create personalised and ready to send letters, emails and forms. You can just sign and send!
And the good news is that if you choose me as your celebrant, my gift to is an Easy Name Change gift card!