Getting married is a huge deal; and not just socially or emotionally, but also ‘legally’. What does that mean? It means that following the event of marriage, a long list of documents is to be checked updated. This becomes more pertinent in case of the spouse who is likely to undergo a change in the name after marriage. Some of the documents that are commonly updated after a marriage for a change in the name of the spouse (on those respective documents) are as follows-

-driver’s license

-bank accounts

-passport

-Credit card

-Social Security Card

This article works a guideline to help you through the process of changing name on the passport after getting married. Passport is a very important document and it is perhaps one of the most considered and prioritized document. Hence, one is advised to apply for the change of name in the passport as soon as possible. It is equally important to know and understand that the procedure to change the name on the passport after a marriage may vary from one case to another depending on whether the passport was issued more than a year ago or less than a year.

Eligibility for an application or appeal to change the name of a person in his/her passport:

-as an applicant one must hold a US Passport (which is the most basic requirement)

-as an applicant, one must have changed one’s name legally: that is through court order or marriage

Application Process:

1. Gather all the required documents

- Make sure you have your current US passport

- Fill the Passport Name Change Application Form DS-5504 (if it has been less than a year since the passport was issued). This can be done both online and offline, of course.

- A new passport size photograph is required which has to be strictly different from the one that was earlier present on the passport.

- A front and back copy of the driver’s license or any other state-issued ID. The ID will serve as a proof of your new name.

-To show the proof of name change, one can submit the original or the certified copy of a legal document like the marriage certificate to show the name change or to validate the same.

- Fees for passport name change – If your passport was issued less than one year ago, there is no government fee unless you need expedited service ($60 government fee for expedited passport service for name change)

This is what one has to do if the passport has been issued for more than a year

- One has to fill the Name Change Application Form, DS-82, which can be done both online and offline. The rest of the procedures remain the same to a major extent.

For marriage records in the state of Maryland, consider Maryland Marriage Record.

Charles Hammes is the author of this article. For further detail about Maryland Marriage Record. Please visit the website: https://maryland.staterecords.org/vital.php