Learning how to get a passport name change is important if you want your passport to reflect the change in your name since your most recent passport. A name change applies when you get married (and have taken on a different surname), or your name has changed through a court order. In both instances, you will have to go through the passport office for this passport.
You have two ways about getting your passport name changed if your name was changed legally (due to marriage or court order). What option is available to you is determined by the time when your latest passport was issued. Once you’ve determined that, you will need to submit the necessary documents that each option requires.
The first option is when your passport was issued more than one year ago. If this is the case with your passport, you will have to apply for a new passport by mail. To do that, you will need to mail the necessary requirements: your latest validated passport, two recent color photographs of yourself, the fees that cover this application, the completed DS-82 form so you can apply for a passport by mail, and finally, the original or at least a certified copy of the document that proves your name was changed legally (a marriage contract or a court order, depending on your case).
There are other requirements if your passport was issued within the last year. Make sure you check the date your passport was issued before proceeding. If it was indeed issued within the last year, you will need to submit the following requirements: your latest validated passport, two recent color photos of yourself, the form DS-5504 for your application of a passport name change, and then the supporting legal documents that evidence your name change.
You don’t have to pay any fee if you’re applying for a passport name change if your passport is only a year old. However, there will be an applicable fee should you choose to have your application expedited. This is recommended to anyone who needs to leave the country in less than 10 weeks. So if this situation applies to you, have it expedited.
The legal document that proves your name change is important when applying for a change in your passport name. However, in case you don’t have any of those documents, there’s an alternative way for you to apply for the change. This requires you to complete a DS-11 form, as well as submit your latest passport, two color photos, and pay the applicable fee. On top of these requirements, you will be required to provide three public records with your date and place of birth that shows you using your current name for at least the last five years.
Since you are filling in form DS-11, you will be required to submit in person the last set of requirements we mentioned. It therefore pays to ensure that you have all the requirements ready before going to the passport agency or acceptance facility nearest you. Doing this will help you save a lot of time.
Want to know how to get a USA Passport Name Change? That’s what we have discussed in the previous paragraphs. Just always remember to find out what procedure applies to you as it saves you time and ensures that your Pass Port name change proceeds smoothly.