Since you’re reading this, chances are you want to know how to get a passport. This is what you need to do if you want to make the change in your name to be reflected on your passport. You would normally need to go through this process if you were recently married, or if you had your name legally changed. If that were the case, then you would indeed need to apply for a passport name change.
The procedure you need to go through when changing your name in your passport depends on when your latest passport was issued. There’s a separate procedure for those whose passports were issued within a one-year period, and then another one for passports issued more than a year ago. Check your current passport to determine the date it was issued.
Now let’s talk about the first type of procedure. In case your passport was issued over a year ago, you are required to apply for a new one by mail. There are several requirements that will enable you to do this. The following requirements are: your current passport, two recent color photographs of yourself, the DS-82 form that you have filled in, plus the original or at least a certified copy of the legal document that proves your name change. Depending on your case, it will either be your marriage contract or the court order on your change of name. Also, you will be required to pay a certain fee for this type of procedure.
Now what if your passport was issued within one year? You will have to fulfill a slightly different set of requirements in that case. These requirements are: your latest passport, two recent photos, the supporting legal documents such as the ones mentioned in the last paragraph, and the DS-5504 form for your passport name change.
In the case of passports that were issued less than a year ago, applicants are not required to pay any fee. If, however, you choose to have your application expedited, then you will have to pay an additional fee. The US Department of State recommends expedited passports for anyone who intends to leave within the next 10 weeks. Currently, it takes around two to three weeks to process an expedited passport.
The legal document that proves your name change is important when applying for a change in your passport name. However, in case you don’t have any of those documents, there’s an alternative way for you to apply for the change. This requires you to complete a DS-11 form, as well as submit your latest passport, two color photos, and pay the applicable fee. On top of these requirements, you will be required to provide three public records with your date and place of birth that shows you using your current name for at least the last five years.
When filing out a DS-11 form, the passport office requires you to submit this and the other supporting documents in person. And since the office might be far from where you live, it pays to ensure that you have filled in all the information and have all the documents you need before proceeding. This will save you a lot of time.
If you want to know how to get a USA Passport Name Change, it’s simple and straightforward. First, you’ll have to determine the age of your US Passport, as well as the legal documents that you have with you. Once you have those, choose the appropriate procedure that suits you and proceed from there.