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Change Your Last Name

Are you planning to change your last name when you get married? If so, here is some useful information that can help you ...

There are many times when people consider a name change. Most of these times are for a good reason, while others need to do it for safety reasons. There are yet others who are wishing to disappear and not be found. No matter what your reasons, when you want to change your last name, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. If you change your last name to get away from creditors, you may find that it won’t offer you what you are looking for.

The most common reason you may want to change your last name would be because of a marriage, or in some cases, a divorce. When you marry, you may wish to take your husbands name, or you may wish to hyphenate them. When you do this, you have to take the time to do it right. Sometimes, when someone is coming out of a really bad marriage, they may wish to change their name to go back to their maiden name. In either case, you can do it yourself, or you can pay someone to help you.

For the most part, when you change your last name, you simply need to fill out some forms. The most important place to change your last name is with the social security office. They have a form just for this purpose, and you must show your marriage license in order to get the change done. After this is done, you have to get a new driver’s license with your new name, change your name on all of your bills, and notify anyone else like magazines or clubs. 

If you change your last name for reasons other than marriage, you may have to get special permission from a court. I’m not really sure how this works, but they will take a special look at why you want to change your last name. As long as it is not for any criminal reasons, you should have no problem getting permission to do so. You must then go through the same steps as someone who just got married to change your last name.

You can find kits online that give you all the paperwork you need to change your last name. These vary in price, and they will make things a lot easier for you. You simply fill out the forms, attach the proper documents, and then send out the paperwork. When I married, I found the same kit you can pay for online for free. I wish I could remember where, but I think it is still out there. If you want this kit to help you change your last name, a thorough search online should help you find it.

For more information about weddings and engagements, see the "resources" section of this website, or go to articles about weddings.