Changing my name

Hi all -

Just got back from our honeymoon - and I was hoping some of you could advise on how to go about changing my name. Whats the first thing I need to do - get a new SS? Driver liscence?

Thanks

Welcome to newlywedness!!! Where did you go on your honeymoon?

As for the name change, be prepared for the nightmare!! LOL Ok, FIRST you should change it with SS -- which was by far the easiest and quickest thing for me yet! Make several copies of your marriage license because you'll have to give copies to some places when you change. As for DMV, I'm married 7 months and I STILL HAVEN'T BEEN BRAVE ENOUGH TO DO IT!!! But I'm getting close to this nightmare! I've heard you need a copy of your marriage license, you need a new insurance card (so call them BEFORE you go) in order to re-register your car, and you need your title because you have to change your name for that as well!!

FOR ALL MY FELLOW NEWLYWED PALS, WHAT ELSE DO I/WE NEED TO KNOW BEFORE WE GO THERE??!! I am so dreading this DMV thing that I keep putting it off!!

As for credit cards, that was pretty easy also. Just call them up and they'll do it over the phone. If you have EZ-Pass, you have to fax them a copy of your marriage license AND a letter -- that killed me -- what's the big deal, it's EZ Pass for cryinoutloud!!!!!

You also have to notify your human resource dept. at work and your medical insurance (which work should do for you and I really hope that your company isn't as retarded as mine is and can handle that!!!)!!!!

It really isn't that bad! I found that all the things that I thought were going to be easy, were hard and vice versa! I'm still known as 2 different names and it can be pretty funny and pretty confusing!! Good luck!!!!

Congrats! first of all

You will also need to change your last name with your bank, mortgage company, any loan company, credit cards( easy- just a phone call if I remember correctly) and utilites- if under your name.

Passport too! for that you will need to send an original copy of your marriage license.

how do you get extra certified copies of your marriage lisence?
Thanks

Could this possibly be right?? Something went smoothly for us?? Or did that something slip by me and get done the wrong way as seems to be the norm these days??!!

My husband and I went and did the driver's license first, and the only complaint I have about that, was that we stood in line for a long, long time .. so long that by the time we got out of there, the Social Security office was closed. Anyway, I didn't have any hassles at the DMV. I showed them our original Marriage Certificate and my 'old' license. I do not recall showing them my insurance card .. I really don't think I did. And as for the title .. they told me I was supposed to call the bank I have the loan with .. which I still haven't done. They also changed the Registration without a problem, either .. and I am 99.99999% positive all I gave them was the 'old' license and our Marriage Certificate.

I have a couple of questions.. does the DMV keep the copy of the marriage licence you give them? also i just had to get my license renewed and paid about 50$ for it.. does that mean when i change my name i have to pay that again? so if i have this correctly i need to go to ss first.. then to the car ins. co. to change my ins. cards , then to DMV and bring with me my license, ins. card.. proof from SS and title of my car? do i also need to pay to reregister my car in my new name as well?? i am sorry for all the questions... its just a little confusing..

Thanks
Sue

I would suggest calling the DMV to find out exactly what you are going to need.

We did DMV first, then SS. I did not have any insurance cards, new or old, when we went to the DMV, I did not show them anything from SS and I did not bring the title of my car. The more I think back, I am certain I did not show them anything other than my 'old' license and our marriage certificate.

I didn't even show them my registration, because I wasn't even thinking about doing the registration. I went there with the intention of doing the license .. completely forgetting about the registration until the lady at the counter asked if I wanted that changed too. Then she simply scanned the computer to find my car, and that was that.

When we went to the DMV and SS offices, we brought the original marriage certificate and some spare copies, just in case anyone wanted to keep one for their records. I don't think either place kept a copy, but I could be forgetting. They certainly did not keep the original.

Make sure to have your SS card with you when you go to do the name change at the SS office.

As for the fees at the DMV .. I can't recall what we ended up having to do. I would definitely recommend calling them. I once delt with them on the phone after we moved into our house, and they were so helpful in assisting me with the address change and providing information.

Valenia, that comes really fast -- within 2 weeks of your wedding. Mine was waiting for me when I got home from my honeymoon.

As for DMV, is it different rules for Long Island and Queens? Which makes no sense because it's a state thing, not a county thing. Because I finally went to go change my license and car registration on Monday (Hello, I'm married 9 months already, nothing like putting it off, huh?) and I WASTED ONE HOUR OF MY LIFE AND GOT NO WHERE!!! This is why I waited so long. I asked other girls who've done it, I read on here, I asked my insurance agent, and NOBODY, NOBODY said anything about NEEDING my title to change my car registration!! Well, lo and behold after getting there when it opened and standing in the blazing sun for 20 minutes waiting on line to get in, I finally get up to the window to take my picture and I give the snot-nose kid (and that's being nice) at the counter all my papers and he says (real thrilled with his job I might add )) 'license, marriage license and title' -- I asked him why I need my title and his answer is 'you need the title' -- ok, but why, the car is 13 years old, I'm the original owner and I'm not getting rid of it -- no response -- I said that my car insurance agent told me I didn't need it, then the b**** next to him pipes in and says 'your car insurance knows nothing about DMV' and I said to her with the same tone, that she just got married and didn't have to change her title and then the jerky ******* turns around and says he needs the original marriage license and when I asked why he needed that, he just handed me the papers and said NEXT!! He just dismissed me like I was yesterday's garbage!!!! And everytime I kept asking him a question, all he kept saying was NEXT!!! I finally said 'I'm talking to you, don't ignore me' -- which is what he did!!!! That p***** me off like you don't know. How dare you just toss me aside without explaining anything!!!!! So I stood there fuming and said tell me why I need the original and the title and he totally ignored me while the witch next to him pipes in (all snotty) again and says 'did your agent tell you that too' -- well at that point I almost went postal!!!!

So to make my long saga short, I left there the same way I went in, just 100% aggrevated and so totally p-o'd!!!

What I don't get is why nobody else had to change the title if they were changing their registration. The SOB wouldn't even tell me why, his standard answer was 'we need it', well WHOOP DEE FRIGGIN DO!!!!! I should've told him to go scratch his a$$, the jerk!

So that's my experience with DMV! I hope nobody else goes through my he**!!!!

Mine took about 3 weeks, got it in Hemstead and we were living near Boston at the time. Valenia, aren't you up that way, or am I confusing you with someone else? If so, you're lucky - MA RMV and the SS offices were a dream compared to everything I've had to do again, now that I've moved to NY.

MA RMV was 20 minutes to change my drivers license and my registration. SS took me about 10 minutes - just had to wait for one person finishing up ahead of me. Hardest part was remembering to sign with my new name!

Here in NY it took almost 2 hours to get my NY license (didn't help that their computers went down) and when DH went to change our registrations it took him 2 (almost 3) trips and about 4 hours total! Mis-information on the web page, people who didn't know what to do, etc.

By the way, in MA you can go on-line to see how long the current wait is at your local RMV office!

I had a miserable time at the DMV (Huntington) when I went to change my name. My license happened to be up for renewal as well, so I was happy to kill 2 birds with one stone. I won't post here again, if you do a search on the brides side, I posted my DMV saga in early July. I had read that I needed my old license, registration, title, and marriage certificate, so I went prepared.

On my SS card, I kept my maiden name as my middle name. Long story short, DMV said I couldn't do that leagally unless I got a court order to change my name!! The lady gave me two options: hyphenate my name (NOT a choice for me) or keep my old middle initial (NOT a choice since I dropped it with the SS card name change).

After a heated argument, I told her I wasn't leaving until my name was changed and my license was renewed. She told me she couldn't put my middle initial on the license. If she had told me that from the beginning I wouldn't have had a fight.

If you kept your maiden name as your middle name, just be sure not to put it on the form when you change your name with DMV. They will insist you need a court order to legally change that!

Even if thats how you put it in your marriage license? I was told by the town clerk whatever you sign the forms with is what you will have until you legally change your name again (this even means putting a public notice in the paper!) I am using my maiden name as middle and told them when applying for our marriage license. Then I had second thoughts! SS used first, Maiden, new last - but for all my credit cards and stuff I just tell them my new last.

I think it sounds too long and silly with all the names now!

title when they changed their registration? I have my title, but lo and behold (but of course), it seems DMV NEVER sent me a new title when I paid the car off way back in 1994. I have the registered/certified letter I sent them, but no title. So now my nightmare has become a full-blown horror movie because I have one more problem.

Please of please tell me somebody had the same problem!! And please oh please tell me how to fix it!!!!

Oh Jenn, so you didn't go through my he**? The stupid guy wouldn't even look at me twice when I asked him why I needed my title. He just tossed me aside like I was garbage said 'next' and didn't want to hear me at all! I swear, sometimes I think I'm wood or invisible!!!