Guide to Official Name Change Notification Process

Table of Contents

Description

What is it?

A name change notification is an official process where an individual notifies various institutions and companies about the change of their name. This can be due to a range of reasons including marriage, divorce, gender transition, or personal choice.

Who needs it?

Any individual who has changed their name and needs to update it in all official records, tickets, social media accounts, and more.

Procedure

  1. Start by changing your name legally. This process varies by country. Usually it involves petitioning to a court (In the USA it’s usually a state court).
  2. Once you have your legal documents with the new name, start notifying governmental bodies. This often includes passport offices, driver’s license registry, social security, tax authorities, and electoral registration.
  3. Notify your bank and other financial institutions like investment accounts and pension funds.
  4. Update your details with utility providers, phone and internet companies.
  5. Notify schools, colleges, and any educational institutions you’re associated with.
  6. Update your details at your place of work.
  7. Update your name on social media accounts. Some platforms like Facebook do allow change of name, you may need to follow their specific procedure and might require providing identification.

Required Documents

  1. Legal name change document: This could be a marriage certificate, divorce decree, court order, or gender recognition certificate. It depends on the reason for the name change.
  2. Identification: Passport, driver’s license, or any other form of id with your new name.
  3. Proof of address

Providers that can do it for you

(We are currently curating the best providers. If you are or know a provider, please contact us or edit the page directly)

ProviderWebsiteTimelinesCost

Additional details

Remember to update your name everywhere it’s necessary to ensure unified legal identification. Frequently overlooked places include airline membership profiles, email accounts, auto registration and insurance, health and life insurance, and your will or estate plan.

Please note, for changing a name on a purchased airline ticket you typically have to contact the airline directly and the process will depend on the airline’s policy, some may allow it while others may not.

Contribute

Improve this article by using the contact form or editing it through our open-source GitHub repository: tramitit/guides