Common Law Marriage Name Change
Some of you may be asking yourself what is a common law marriage*? It’s when a couple has lived together for at least 7 years, right? Actually…no, that’s a MYTH. A common law marriage is union (between a man and a woman who have not been formally married) recognized by a state based on that particular state’s laws. Common law married name change is a name change based on a common law marriage.
After some research, I found that not all 50 of the United States recognize common law marriages. As a matter of fact not even half do! States that recognize common law marriages (in some form or another) include: Alabama, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
Each state has its own requirements to meet for a union to be defined as common law marriage; which is precisely why it is important to take a look at your state’s laws to see if you are indeed in a valid common law marriage according to the state in which you reside.
The next order of business is your name change. Unfortunately, since there is no formal ceremony for common law marriages (and no Marriage Certificate) it is not the same process as changing your name after marriage and requires you to complete an additional step in order to legally change your name.
Federal courts rule that a name change at will or by “common law” is perfectly legal under the U.S. Constitution—meaning you can call yourself Rainbow Bright if you want to! However, in order to make the name change “official” you will need to take it one step further than just assuming your new name. Which means a legal name change through your local county court system. Please contact that office directly for further information on obtaining a legal name change.
Once you have a name change order (legal permission to officially change your name) you will notify each agency of your name change by submitting the proper paperwork. Each agency will process your name change requests and issue new state and government documents (i.e. Social Security card, Driver’s License, Passport, etc.) in that new name.
Sounds like going from Miss to Mrs.is a hassle, doesn’t it? This is where theMissNowMrs.com married name change service can help you! While we can’t obtain a name change order for you, once you have it you are able to use our service to help complete your paperwork and provide you with the step-by-step filing instructions to notify each agency of your new name. We promise to make it as painless and stress-free as possible!
Have you changed your name at will or by “common law?” Did you have trouble obtaining new state and government documents without a name change order? Help us and our readers further understand the process by leaving a comment below.
