The Road to a Passport Name Change
A passport is the legal identification booklet that must be acquired by a citizen before leaving the country. Getting passport is a process all its own. However, getting a passport name change invites many different obstacles to overcome. The government will require specific steps be taken to ensure the correct up-to-date information will appear on the new passport issued.
Reasons for a changing one’s name, age, and date the passport was issued all directly affect the processing of a new passport. Each one of these examples will cause a person to be subject to differing guidelines for obtaining a new and current passport. Each case will ask for specific documents, proof of identity, and fees.
When a couple gets married or a court order changes someone’s name, new passports must be issued. This process can be completed over the mail and with no expense if the passport was issued in the same year. The government will ask for a marriage certificate, the old passport, and a DS-5504 form to be completed and submitted. In cases of legal name change, a court order for the name change is required.
Different guidelines must be followed if the original passport was issued for more than year after a name is changed. This process can also be done over the postal service. In this case, one must send their old passport with a correctly filled out DS-82 form to the government. They will also need to supply legal documents proving the change in identity and two recent photographs with payment costs.
Failure to produce documents will cause a person to physically go to a passport agency. While at this government building, people trying to get a new passport must produce their old passport, a DS-11 form, and pay a first time fee for the new name. All final judgments will be made by officials working at these government offices.
Proving one’s identity when no paperwork can be found will take much longer. So for the most part, try to hang on to all legal documents. A person trying to get a new passport must provide three documents over a five year period to workers at this location. They will also need to be supplied with two recent photographs for the creation of the new passport.
Children need passports to travel the same as adults. For a child to change their name on a passport, both guardians and child must be present at the agency. A birth certificate with both names of guardians on it, adoption decrees, and legal documentation of the name change must accompany the child to the office. A completed DS-11 form and parents personal identification papers must also be provided.