Spouse wants to change her name...

jefkorn

Registered Users (C)
Hi,
She wants to change her full name, how does one go about it? Anyone done it? What does one do about their birth certificate? etc What documents needs to be updated and how does the process work.

I'm familiar with the part where one needs to go to court and get a court order of name change approved by the judge. Would love to hear your experiences and any gotchas to be aware of?

Thanks!
 
Check online or call the county office that deals with name change. When submitting the application, it'll be worth asking for an extra certified copy even if you have to pay a little extra. Shouldn't take more than a few weeks.

Then update the social security card, drivers license, passport, bank/credit accounts, utilities if any. Assuming she's from pakistan, she would also need to update any documents there.
 
Thanks for your reply! I checked the county's website and that process is outlined in details. So that part I'm not so worried about. My question is more around once I get the court order, I know the commonly known entities:

Inform SSN Office and get a new SS card
Inform Bank and update info
Inform credit card companies
How about credit bureaus? Does it affect the credit score?
Update employment records at the employer
IRS? Probably not
What if US citizen has sponsored siblings? Should she inform USCIS about the change in sponsor's name? I don't think need to file a new I-130 form for each sibling sponsored.
Request a new Driver's license
Update utilities (Electricity, Internet, etc)
Update the lease/rental agreement
Update the car registration?
Update the auto insurance policy
Kids' birth certificates?

About documents to update/places to inform in Pakistan:

How about updating NADRA records? Is it needed and how to do it?
How to get a new Pak. passport with new name?
How to get a new NICOP card issued?
Do kids need a new NICOP card or passport as well since their parent's name is changing?
How about college completion certificate/degree? It still bears the old name.
Marriage Certificate/Nikkah Nama? I've the original Nikkah Naama and the translated version. What to do about those?

PS: With so many questions, this thread the chances of becoming a sticky :)
 
I wouldn't want to go through the hassle of updating each and every document that bears the old name unless it's absolutely critical and can't be remedied by showing/attaching the court order. So I understand that passport should bear the new name and it's a well defined process but getting a new degree with updated name from Pakistan, not so much.

So that's why asking about what's the absolute must and what can be handled with a combination of name change court order without any adverse impact.
 
Have received the court order of name change. Will be starting the various documents in US. Have no idea how to go about doing it in Pakistan? Do we need a new name change court order from a court in Pakistan? Will the US court order suffice? Do we even need to change the name in any documents there in Pakistan? So many questions!!

I checked the Pak. consulate in NY and apparently one can apply for NICOP with the updated name and after receiving the updated NICOP, one can apply for new passport with the new name so that much could be done online from US. As far as rest of the documents/records in Pak.. need guidance from folks here..

Check online or call the county office that deals with name change. When submitting the application, it'll be worth asking for an extra certified copy even if you have to pay a little extra. Shouldn't take more than a few weeks.

Then update the social security card, drivers license, passport, bank/credit accounts, utilities if any. Assuming she's from pakistan, she would also need to update any documents there.
 
All of the above.
Step 1: Apply for the name change!
Step 1 complete, would you please share more details about the rest as they relate to Pak.? Like Nikkah Nama..I never thought it can be updated with new name after the fact? How about birth certificate that was issued from Pak...it all looks daunting.
 
You can take advise from xxxxxxxxxxxxx , they are US based professionals and also provide consultation without any charges. They will guide you for complete process.
 
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