Passport Name Changes: The Essential Details

by erin on June 21, 2010

You will need to get a USA passport name change if you have gone through a legal name change. How you will go about this will depend on a few different factors. One of these is the date of issue of your current passport. Your situation will dictate whether or not you need to pay a fee as well as whether you can mail in the application.

If your passport was issued within the last year and you have had your name legally changed due to a court order or getting married, you can have your passport reissued at no charge. You must mail your current passport, along with the application for name change and an original or certified copy of the evidence of the name change. Also included must be two photos taken within the last 6 months.

When the current passport you hold in your prior name is more than one year old, you need to use a different form. This can also be mailed in as long as you have legal proof of the change in name. In this case, there is also a fee that must be sent along with your application. The proof of the change and the photos must be sent with this form as well.

If you are unable to supply legal proof of your change in name, you must make your application in person. This situation is treated similarly to applying for a new passport. You will be required to show at least three forms of public records which detail your assumed name along with your birth place and date. They must show use of the name for at least five years.

Minors who are younger than 16 must also make their passport application in person and submit all the same documentation. In addition, the parents or guardians of the child must also appear at the agency. Legal proof of the relationship of the parents or guardians to the child must also be supplied. You should check the requirements for passports for minors to be sure that you arrive with all the proper documents.

Receipt of your revised passport can take, generally, from around 4 to 6 weeks. However, it can take as many as ten weeks to arrive. If you require it sooner, you may want to ask for an expedited passport. This service will require an additional fee. The expedited service can be requested for any type of United States passport application.

Expedited passports can still take two to three weeks to arrive. If you have an emergency that requires getting your updated passport sooner, you will need to call the National Passport Information Center to make an appointment, or contact a passport expediting service.

If you are mailing your application for a passport name change, make sure that all your documentation is packaged securely. It is also best if you send it so that it can be traced. Rather than waiting until you have travel plans, do yourself a favor and send in the American passport form as soon as you actually change your name.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: