Married in Vermont, now trying to change my name in New York...so confused, please help!

I am sure interested in this one as well. I am getting married in Vermont in October.

From what I understand, you should be able to take a certified copy of your license from Vermont, with your proof of your original name, in the form of a birth certificate, and photo i.d. to SS and DMV. When you have a photo i.d., go to get your passport with your birth certificate. You need to have a straight line to prove your new name.

Good luck, and let me know how you made out.

Yes, the marriage certificate will be enough "proof," so long as the last name you are adopting is your husband's, or yours and your husband's hyphenated. Having the name you will be using after marriage on the marriage license is actually a rather new development, and only a few states have it. But because adopting your husband's surname is so traditional, the Social Security Administration, etc., will treat the marriage certificate as proof of a name change, even though marriage does not require you to change your name.

And the legal authority has spoken, Thank you 2d Bride. I thought I was barking up the right tree.

For me the question is, how long do you have, or is their a time limit to change your name on SS and DMV? Seriously, can I wait a few months?

Thanks in advance.

Carole B., I am not really sure if there is a deadline, since I've never tried to change my own name. However, I have seen married women on other boards say they have waited a year to change, and have had no problems. You might want to double check with the driver's license agency in your own state.

Thanks for the info, will def let you know how it turns out. Someone told me this evening that it's actually necessary to go through the legal name change process with the New York Courts (same as if you were to change your name for any other reason), so hopefully a call to Social Security and/or DMV can verify. I've also heard it's possible to just get married again in New York State -- not sure if that has any affect on the first marriage license, public records, etc.

Chelsea, my husband and I were married in Florida, but we live in Virginia. It was quite a simple process. Once the marriage was recorded in Florida and we received the marriage certificate in the mail, it was a simple matter of first taking my old ID, my marriage certificate, and a Social Security change application to the Social Security office. They provided me with a receipt showing that my replacement card with name change due to marriage was applied for. That same day, I went to the DMV with the receipt, my marriage certificate, and my existing driver's license - I paid the fee for a new license and that was that. There's no need to get married in multiple states, no need to go to court.

Read here:

Change Name in NY After Getting Married

As for renewing your passport in your married name:

Change Your Name on Your US Passport

Thanks for the info 2D and digiscrappy!

It is not a hard process at all. Use the marriage license to get a new social security card. Use the new social security card to get a new license. With the new license change everything else.

And stay away from the companies that charge to do this for you. They are a scam and a waster of money.

I hope there isn't a time limit, because only thing I've changed is my DL - social, passport, alien card, notary, escrow license, credit cards still haven't been changed. not sure if I will.

Hey Sharon, Can you have your drivers licence different than your ss? Also, do you have to have your alien card done before or after everything else. I want to do the whole name change thing but not sure the order (posted previously about it). Im worried about changing it and then filling taxes and something being wrong.

Were you able to find a solution? I was married in Vermont this past August, and can not change my name at the DMV because my married name is not on the Vermont marriage license, I called the Social Security DPT. and was told the same. I'm looking for a solution but keep reaching dead-ends. The Vermont marriage license does not include my married name, this is where it gets tricky and is not what NY State is accustom to. Thanks so much!