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Bride2Be2018
VIP January 2018

How long did it take you to legally change your name?

Bride2Be2018, on November 6, 2017 at 9:20 AM Posted in Planning 0 17

We are getting married 1/20/18. We are going on our honeymoon in May. I want to change my last name to his. We also need to fly to Canada for a wedding in June...so I would love to just book the flights under my new last name, but just was wondering if anybody had any issues where for some reason it took longer than a few months for the name change to be in effect for some reason? I am super excited to take his name and would rather not wait 6 months, but I also don't want to screw myself over for the flights.

ETA: Also if anybody has Global Entry or TSA pre-check...did you have to reapply or are you still covered?

17 Comments

Latest activity by MrsMcK, on November 10, 2017 at 10:18 PM
  • Melissa
    Expert June 2018
    Melissa ·
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    You should be able to get it all done within a couple weeks.

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  • Bride2Be2018
    VIP January 2018
    Bride2Be2018 ·
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    Excellent. Just wanted to make sure there weren't any hiccups people typically hadSmiley smile TY

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  • Bride2Be2018
    VIP January 2018
    Bride2Be2018 ·
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    @JSarge omg that sounds like a pain. Global Entry and TSA recheck has been a godsend. That might be the tipping point for me to just wait so we can easily travel and not have to wait in the lines for our honeymoon. 6 months oy vey!

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  • MrsB
    VIP June 2017
    MrsB ·
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    Oh my goodness...I'm glad we waited on TSA Precheck until after I changed my name! I've been meaning to sign up and just kept forgetting, so now I'm glad I did.

    OP, make sure to get an extra certified copy of your marriage license to send in with your passport renewal form. You have to send either a certified copy or the original. They send it back, but you do have to send it in.

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  • bluevelvet
    Devoted October 2017
    bluevelvet ·
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    In Minnesota you change your name on the license so after you get it back from the state with the raised seal you are good to go to the DMV, etc. I got our license back eleven days after the wedding. We mailed it ourselves after the wedding.

    You should be good to go, just make sure your name on the flight matches a state/gov't issued ID or bring your license with you. As the previous poster said: The TSA does NOT play!! Best wishes!

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  • Sos0033
    VIP September 2017
    Sos0033 ·
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    Still working on it...

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  • Bride2Be2018
    VIP January 2018
    Bride2Be2018 ·
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    @SOS what is the delay affiliated with?

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  • Lynnie
    WeddingWire Administrator October 2016
    Lynnie ·
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    Will you need a passport for where you're going on your honeymoon? That's the only piece I'd be worried about! I was able to expedite the name change on my passport by paying extra ($99 for basic expediting level, but can pay up to $400 for super-speedy service). You'll need your marriage license to mail in with the forms, and it took me a few weeks to get that back after the wedding!

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  • Zaz
    Master October 2016
    Zaz ·
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    Where do you live? The "grace period" to legally change your name vary based on where you live. For example, in NH, you have 60 days (I think) to start the process to change your name, and the new license can take up to 45 days to come in - and this is after you wait for your new Social Security card to arrive. If you wait after the 60 days, you need to go before a probate judge. In contrast, there is no such "grace period" in MA; I could walk in any time after I had a copy of the marriage certificate and start the process. Definitely check your state laws.

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  • Raina
    Super October 2017
    Raina ·
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    Wait... do you have to do the TSA before you travel? Will it affect travelling to another country? I'm still waiting to get my legal docs but we will be headed to Aruba in February.

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  • Anne
    Master April 2017
    Anne ·
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    @Raina that's only for TSA precheck. All you need to travel is a government issued ID that matches the name on your ticket.

    ETA: And of course that ID must be a passport if you're travelling out of the country Smiley smile

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  • J
    Savvy September 2016
    jessica0918 ·
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    I changed mine right away since we were going on our honeymoon overseas 6 months after the wedding, and needed to get an updated passport. Remember to get a bunch of copies of your marriage certificate since nearly all parties want to see this in order to verify the change- work, your credit cards/banks, SS administration, state dept, etc.

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  • kahlcara
    Master August 2013
    kahlcara ·
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    I waited a year to start changing anything (we were moving and I was applying to law school). The important parts (SS and driver's license) were changed in about a week from the time I started the process, but I didn't actually bother changing my passport until I renewed it in January 2017, just booked things under my maiden name.

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  • Mary
    Expert October 2017
    Mary ·
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    You'll need to check the laws in your area for any waiting periods but you should be able to get the major things done in a few weeks.

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  • FutureFuji
    VIP September 2017
    FutureFuji ·
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    I started my name change 3 weeks after the wedding (2 week honeymoon). Had to go get a copy of marriage license then went to SSA. SSA told me that I had to wait until the following Monday or later to go to the DMV so the database got updated. I'm not sure if that's true or not but I waited. Also, you don't get your new license that day, it comes in the mail. You will want your new license before you mail your passport in because you will want some form of ID. If you stay on top of it and mail your passport as soon as you get your drivers license, I think 5 months will be plenty.

    I'm in CA and my drivers license came in about a week and a half

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  • JDSquared
    VIP August 2017
    JDSquared ·
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    Changed everything in 1 day lol

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  • MrsMcK
    VIP September 2017
    MrsMcK ·
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    Depends where you live, though. In PA you can't change your name with social security and the dmv in one day.

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