Name Change in Australia Once You Receive Your Certificate of Marriage
Just Married? Just over 80% of Australian brides will go on to change names.
Once you receive your Births, Deaths, and Marriages wedding certificate you’ll need to contact all the necessary companies to request your name is changed. You can do it yourself with a good checklist, or use an Easy Name Change kit to get all your paperwork prepared.
If you’ve decided to change names, the only official document you need to get started is your official wedding certificate from Tasmania Births, Deaths and Marriages. You can’t use the ceremonial certificate issued on the day as it is missing certain security features.
There are 3 types of marriage certificate — official, commemorative and ceremonial. Only an official marriage certificate can be used for identification purposes and proof of name change through marriage. The ceremonial marriage certificate given to you by your registered celebrant or registered minister of religion is not official. You can't use it to prove your relationship. Should you need a copy of your official marriage certificate with the Attorney Generals seal on it and other security features, you can apply for it at your Queensland Births Deaths and Marriages agency.
Use a personalised name change kit
It can take around 8 to 10 hours to make a list of all the companies you need to get in contact with and request their name change form or find out where you need to send in a letter.
The most convenient way to change names is to use an Easy Name Change kit. You can select all the companies you need to notify then receive step by step instructions for each company. You’ll also receive any special name change forms for your companies, or a ready to send letter if they need your request in writing.
Or do it yourself
If you prefer to save $30 on a name change kit you can manage the process yourself. Make a checklist of the companies then set aside a few hours to do all the research. Your list should include identification (driver license, passport), insurance (home, car, health, life), utilities (water, electricity, gas), banks, credit cards, superannuation, rewards (shopping, travel), online (PayPal, ebay, Facebook). You’ll also need around half a day to complete any forms, write letters and send emails as required.
What name can I take?
Once married you can continue to use your maiden name, you can drop your maiden name and use your husband’s instead, or you can add your husband’s surname to your own in any order and separate the names with either a hyphen or space.
Is my preferred name recorded anywhere?
There’s no ‘registration’ of your preferred married name, and no strict timeline to make the change. If you do intend to change names it is much easier to get all your accounts and identification changed over within a few weeks, as you may have issues if you need to prove your identity.
Questions?
Do you have any questions about changing names? Email the experts at Easy Name Change: