From Miss to Mrs.
This post here is for all of my ladies! Well, all our ladies who want to change their last name after they get married, anyway. This post is for you – a step by step on how to change your last name.
I’m writing this post from a place of my own heart because I am STILL currently going through the process of changing my last name from Younkin to Ingagliato. First of all, it’s hilarious to have to keep repeating that to all of the government workers at Social Security and the MVA because NO ONE can pronounce Tony’s last name. It’s fun to watch them try though! So keep reading to find the best tips and tricks on how to change your last name.
1. Certified Copy of Marriage License
You will need a certified copy of you marriage license. This license will have the little bumpy raised seal of the county that you decided to get married in. In Maryland, this is the ONLY license that they will accept in order for you to move on to step 2. I did not know the difference between a certified copy and the copy that I had for our own records, so I went to the Social Security Administration to get my new SS card only to be turned away after waiting there in line for forever because I did not have the correct license. So I had to go back home and find out how to PAY for additional certified copies of our marriage license. Then, I had to wait for them to actually come in the mail from Queen Anne County. If you got married super local, you can just drive to the court house and ask the clerk if you can buy a copy from them. Queen Anne County is about 2.5 hours from our house so I opted for the mail route.
2. Social Security Administration
Once you have your certified copy of your marriage license, hop on over to your local Social Security Administration. Pro tip – make sure you get there BEFORE THEY OPEN. I can not stress this enough. There will already be a line forming and you want to be at the beginning of that line. This could save you HOURS of waiting in the waiting room. You will need your certified copy of your marriage license as well as your current Social Security Card. Once it’s your turn, they will ask for these two documents and you will hand them over. They will do a ton of typing and then hand it back to you after going over the correct NEW information aka your shiny new last name! Now for the fun part – you go back home and wait because they have to mail it to you. You will NOT receive your SS Card on this day so don’t even plan on going to step 3 on the same day as step 2.
3. Motor Vehicle Administration
Oh the MVA. The dearly beloved MVA. After you receive your shiny (it’s not shiny) new Social Security Card in the mail with your beautiful new last name, head on over to your local MVA. Once again, get here when it opens. Everyone is still nice in the morning because they haven’t had to deal with the crazies yet. You will need your SS Card, current license, and certified copy of your marriage license. You get to take a brand new picture, so make sure you do your hair and makeup this day. No one wants to be stuck with a terrible picture on their ID! With the new Maryland licenses, the MVA can no longer print them right there on the spot. So again, you will now go home and wait for your fancy shmancy license to appear in the mail.
4. Passport, Bank Account, Subscriptions, Etc.
From here, you are free to head to your bank and change over all the fun stuff! Now’s the time to change your passport over, update any mailing subscriptions or auto draft bank thingys! You have a new last name! Congratulations!
For more tips & tricks, visit the blog posts below!
