Changing your name - a long process!
September 7th 2010 03:09
I am now, officially, Amy McPherson 
Due to a combination of factors, it was a long process. So for your future reference, here are some things I've noted down (this is for Australian readers only, sorry):
If you have married in the state of your residence, then your marriage certificate is enough for you to change your name. (And I am not going to be discriminative here, men are also welcome to take their wife's surnames or/and same sex coupls have a choice of whose surname goes with who)
If you have married overseas (like me) you actually need to register a formal change of name at the state's Registry for Birth Death and Marriages.
If you are exactly like me, with a combination of being married overseas and do not have a state issued birth certificate (simply said, that you were born outside Australia) you'll need to make sure before you go to the Registry you have all the necessary identification documents as well as record of your residence in the state for 3 years before you can formally register a change of name.
This means, either rental agreements for the past 3 years, (all of them), or utility bills (for every month for exactly 3 years). You cannot use electrol roll letters or Tax Office notices or employer issued group certificates as they do not actually proof that you have lived at the address (don't ask me, ask them!)
Most of the formal change of names will require this certificate. The rest is easy but tedious. Once you have this certificate, make sure you visit a JP and get them to sign a few copies of the Change of Name certificate as well as your marriage certificate so you don't have to be running around all the time.
Passport: You'll need to fill out a new passport application. If you change your name within 12 months from the date of your marriage, then the re-issue is free of charge. Make sure you bring to your passport interview at the post office both a certified copy of the documents as well as the original. You'll still need new passport photos but the process is easy as long as you have all the right documents with you.
Drivers Licence: Probably one of the easiest. Go to the RTA with the original and the copies of the change of name certificate as well as your marriage certificate. They'll issue a new one on the spot.
Medicare Card: Another easy one. Visit a Medicare office, once again, being original and copied documents. They'll issue you a new temporary card on the spot and send the new card in the mail.
Credit cards/Bank accounts/utility accounts: Most will ask for either a scanned copy of your certificates to email them, or for you to mail in a certified copy. Either way, as long as you fill out their change of name forms, this can usually happen quite quickly. Just make sure that you get a job reference number just in case someone doesn't do their job properly. For my Citibank credit card I also have to write a Statutory Declaration, so you'll need to know where there is a JP nearby to sign it.
Mortgage: Change of name on the mortgage account is easy, but consider if you want to change the name on your property's deed. You should really, but you can wait it out until the mortgage is over and change it yourself. If you want the bank to change it for you, you'll be paying a hefty change fee as well as their solicitor's fees to do the change on the deed.
I think that cover the major things. It is tedious that you have to do them all seperately, but I guess if it was so easy to change your name, the criminals will have it easier to get away with things
Good luck!
Due to a combination of factors, it was a long process. So for your future reference, here are some things I've noted down (this is for Australian readers only, sorry):
If you have married in the state of your residence, then your marriage certificate is enough for you to change your name. (And I am not going to be discriminative here, men are also welcome to take their wife's surnames or/and same sex coupls have a choice of whose surname goes with who)
If you have married overseas (like me) you actually need to register a formal change of name at the state's Registry for Birth Death and Marriages.
If you are exactly like me, with a combination of being married overseas and do not have a state issued birth certificate (simply said, that you were born outside Australia) you'll need to make sure before you go to the Registry you have all the necessary identification documents as well as record of your residence in the state for 3 years before you can formally register a change of name.
This means, either rental agreements for the past 3 years, (all of them), or utility bills (for every month for exactly 3 years). You cannot use electrol roll letters or Tax Office notices or employer issued group certificates as they do not actually proof that you have lived at the address (don't ask me, ask them!)
Most of the formal change of names will require this certificate. The rest is easy but tedious. Once you have this certificate, make sure you visit a JP and get them to sign a few copies of the Change of Name certificate as well as your marriage certificate so you don't have to be running around all the time.
Passport: You'll need to fill out a new passport application. If you change your name within 12 months from the date of your marriage, then the re-issue is free of charge. Make sure you bring to your passport interview at the post office both a certified copy of the documents as well as the original. You'll still need new passport photos but the process is easy as long as you have all the right documents with you.
Drivers Licence: Probably one of the easiest. Go to the RTA with the original and the copies of the change of name certificate as well as your marriage certificate. They'll issue a new one on the spot.
Medicare Card: Another easy one. Visit a Medicare office, once again, being original and copied documents. They'll issue you a new temporary card on the spot and send the new card in the mail.
Credit cards/Bank accounts/utility accounts: Most will ask for either a scanned copy of your certificates to email them, or for you to mail in a certified copy. Either way, as long as you fill out their change of name forms, this can usually happen quite quickly. Just make sure that you get a job reference number just in case someone doesn't do their job properly. For my Citibank credit card I also have to write a Statutory Declaration, so you'll need to know where there is a JP nearby to sign it.
Mortgage: Change of name on the mortgage account is easy, but consider if you want to change the name on your property's deed. You should really, but you can wait it out until the mortgage is over and change it yourself. If you want the bank to change it for you, you'll be paying a hefty change fee as well as their solicitor's fees to do the change on the deed.
I think that cover the major things. It is tedious that you have to do them all seperately, but I guess if it was so easy to change your name, the criminals will have it easier to get away with things
Good luck!
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