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name change advice

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

How to Change Your Name

How To Change Your Name

Wondering how to change your name? It’s not something anyone thinks about until they need to do it. As name-change experts, we’re happy to demystify the process for you. There are several life events that trigger a name change, like marriage, divorce, and adoption. All three of these variations use the same legal paperwork, but the supporting documents are all different.

Married Name Change

If you’re changing your name after marriage, you will need a certified marriage certificate. It is a legal document signed by your officiant and then filed with the county clerk’s office after your marriage. Your certified marriage certificate is the legal proof of your marriage. Typically it arrives in the mail 2 weeks after your ceremony.

You will need to file the SS-5 form for your new Social Security Card, the DS-11, DS-82, or DS-5504 for your new U.S. passport. You will also need to file forms for your new state driver’s license and voter registration. All of these forms must be accompanied by your certified marriage certificate.

If you’re a newlywed, the MissNowMrs app and online service were created to streamline the 13 hour married name change process into minutes. They auto-completing all of the necessary forms and notification letters. You can also use our complete married name change check list to keep track of your progress!

Help Me Change My Name

Divorce

Changing your name after divorce is a similar process. You will file the exact same forms with Social Security, the State Department, the DMV and Voter Registration Bureau. However, instead of using a marriage certificate as your legal name change document, you will need you use a name-change order within your divorce decree.

A name change order is a sentence or paragraph stating that you will be returning to your maiden name. Even if you are unsure if you will return to your maiden name, we advise having your lawyer add a name change order to your divorce decree. This ensures that you have the option to legally change back to your maiden name. But, does not require you to make that change within any time frame. If you’re divorced, GetYourNameBack.com is an online name service designed to help you get your name back quickly and easily.

Legal

This is where things get confusing. Both marriage and divorce name change are legal name changes. They are achieved by following the married or divorced legal paperwork filing process. Non-wedding/divorce name changes are labeled legal name changes. Examples of these include changing a child’s last name after adoption, or an adult changing their name not due to marriage or divorce.

To file for a legal name change, a legal name change order must be acquired. This process includes petitioning the court system for a legal name change order. Being fingerprinted. And, running ads declaring your intention of changing your name in local newspapers.

We highly recommend LegalZoom’s services if you need to file for a legal name change order. Once you have that document, NameChangeNextStep.com is an online service that streamlines the paperwork and provides insider filing tips to save you time and stress.
 

Gwen Stefani Name Change

gwen stefani name change
Gwen Stefani Name Change


Back in 2002, newlywed Gwen Stefani change her name to Gwen Stefani Rossdale. Now that she’s single, the singer has filed to change her name back to her maiden name.
We mostly write about married name change in this blog, but divorce name change happens. MissNowMrs.com has a sister site for divorcees looking to go back to their maiden names: GetYourNameBack.com. The divorce name change process is the same as the married name change process, except you need a name-change order within your divorce decree (which is a paragraph stating you will be returning to your maiden name) instead of a marriage certificate.


An alternate way for women to change their names after divorce is if they re-marry. **It is important that they list their legal name (so not their maiden name) on the marriage certificate so it will allow them to change from their legal name to their new married name. If a divorce women writes her maiden name on a marriage certificate, most offices will not allow her to change to her married name using the married name change process. Much hoopla, red tape, and wasted time ensues.
We wish Gwen Stefani the very best, and hope that she uses MissNowMrs.com to change her name once again if she walks down the aisle with Blake Shelton!