There are many different reasons why you may chose to legally change your name, perhaps you just got married, or you prefer it for a professional reason. Regardless of the reason, you need to change your name on legal documentation, including your passport. There are steps you will need to take when conducting a passport name change.

A pasport name change is just one of the legal documents that you will need to change. You will also need to change your licensee and your social security card. When doing this you will need to prove who you are and that you legally changed your name.

It is a good idea to keep copies of these original documents for future purposes. One example of why you might need these is the case of trying getting a drivers license in a new state. In many cases if you move you’ll need to prove who you were in order to obtain a license or ID.

Completing a passport name change can be done in different ways. The method used will be based on how long you have had your passport. This length of time also affects the fee for the name change on the document.

If it has been less than a year since you first received your passport, you will not need to pay a fee and the application you need will be different than if you have had your passport for a longer period of time. The proper form in this case is the DS-5504 form. This form will need to completely filled out and mailed in. You may also be required to provide two photos that are recent and meet passport specifications.

The DS-5504 form can be mailed into the National Passport Processing Center. In this case there is not a fee for processing the passport name change. You will need to mail this form and the proper documentation to PO Box 90107 in Philadelphia, PA, 19190-0107.

In the case that it has been more than a year since you first obtained your passport, you will need to process the passport name change differently. The form for this purpose is the DS-82. This form will need to be completed and mailed in, along with the processing fee and the correct required documentation. You will also be required to send in two color pictures to the address listed on the back of the application.

It is absolutely necessary that your documents be certified copies, not notarized photocopies. If they are not certified copies they will not be accepted and you will have to do the process over again. You may need to acquire your documents, such as your marriage certificate, before submitting the necessary paper work.

In the case that you do not have this documentation, you can obtain your documents at the county clerk’s office in the county where you were married. Keep in mind that the typical processing period for a us passport name change is 3 to 4 weeks. It you need this sooner you can pay a fee to speed it up a week or so. You may also contact the Congressional office in your state to get the process expedited.