Travel Tips

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.

If your passport was issued over a year ago, you are required to apply for a passport name change through the mail. You will also need to submit the following requirements: your current valid passport, two recent color photographs of yourself, a certified or original copy of the document that proves your name change, as well as a completed DS-82 form. Take note that you will also have to pay an applicable fee for this kind of application.

Meanwhile, there’s another slightly different set of requirements if your passport is less than a year old. What you need to submit are: your latest passport, two copies of your recent ID picture, the supporting legal documents mentioned in the last paragraph, and the filled out DS-5504. This is the type of application you’ll fill in if you’re applying for a passport name change.

If your passport was issued less than a year ago, you will not be required to pay any fee whatsoever. You will, however, have to pay an additional fee if you take the expedited passport option. This is the option that you’re recommended to choose in case you need to leave the country within the next 10 weeks. Typically, expedited passports take two to three weeks to process.

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.

Filling in the Form DS-11 requires you to submit your application plus the supporting documents in person. Because of this, it’s very important that you check whether you have fulfilled every requirement even before you leave for the passport office. This saves you a lot of time.

Want to know how to get a US 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 U.S. Passport name change proceeds smoothly.

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