People change their names for various reasons. Some of them may be personal, while others are a result of a change in marital status. When you change your name you will be required to change your legal documents also. This includes a American passport name change and other documents. This name change can be simple and may not cost you anything, based on the length of time since you first obtained your passport.
You are required by law to change your name on your legal documents at any point that you change your name. A passport name change is necessary as well, as part of this process. When doing this you will need to verify with proper documentation that you have changed your name.
It is a good idea to keep copies of these original documents for future purposes. One example of why you might need these is the case of trying getting a drivers license in a new state. In many cases if you move you’ll need to prove who you were in order to obtain a license or ID.
A passport name change can occur different ways. The method that you select will be governed by the time it has been since you obtained your passport and whether you have legal documentation supporting your name change. The period of time that has transpired since you first filed for your passport will also determine whether you owe a fee for a passport name change.
If it has been less than a year since you obtained your passport and you have legal documentation supporting your name change, then you will need to mail your current passport, a filled out DS-5504 application, and a photocopy of your marriage certificate or name change decree. You may also need to present two recent photos along with the documentation listed above.
The DS-5504 will need to be mailed in along with your original passport and the other documentation. This form gets mailed to the National Passport Processing Office, PO. Box 90107, Philadelphia, PA, 19190-0107. Verify that you have all necessary paperwork before submitting the application.
If you have had your passport in excess of a year, then you will need to handle your passport name change in a different manner. DS-82 is the correct form for this process. This form will require a fee and also two recent and correctly sized color pictures. This form gets mailed to the address indicated on the application.
Be sure to provide certified copies of your marriage certificate or name change document. Notarized Photostatted copies are not accepted. If you don’t have the proper paperwork then you will need to acquire it before sending in the paperwork for the name change.
If you need your marriage certificate or divorce decree you can contact the record department for the county clerk of courts. Keep in mind that the American passport name change typically takes three to four weeks. You may attempt to speed this up by paying an expedite fee or contacting the office of your state Congressional representative if there is an immediate need for assistance.