Requesting To Get Your Passport Name Changed

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 us 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 new 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.

You may also want to hold onto some of your original documentation for future purposes. In some states if you relocate and change your license you will need to prove who you were and who you are. This will involve showing documentation that expresses the name change, such as marriage certificates and divorce documents.

Completing a passport name change can be done in different ways. The method used will be based on how long you have had your passport. This length of time also affects the fee for the name change on the document.

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.

In the case that it has been more than a year since you first obtained your passport, you will need to process the passport name change differently. The form for this purpose is the DS-82. This form will need to be completed and mailed in, along with the processing fee and the correct required documentation. You will also be required to send in two color pictures to the address listed on the back of the application.

Keep in mind that all of your documentation for processing a name change needs to be certified copies. This means that Photostatted copies that have been notarized will not be accepted by the passport department. Consequently if you do not have the proper documentation, you will need to obtain documentation prior to sending in the proper application.

You can typically obtain this information from the clerk's office for the county court in the county you were married in. The U.S. passport name change process will typically take three to four weeks. It is possible to try to rush this, but it will require an additional fee. If necessary you can contact your states congressional office to help rush the U.S. passport process.