Name Change: How long does it take?!

It takes like a month to get everything done.

This may depend on where you live. Here in California the process is: first get a certified copy of your marriage license from the county recorder's office. Then you start with Social Security (I recommend making an appointment). Once you get your new SS card, you go to DMV to update your license. It could take a few weeks to get your new SS card, and a month or more to get your new license. Then apply for your passport which could take a month or longer.

If I were you, book everything in your maiden name for your honeymoon and wait until you come back to change your name.

Good question - we're getting married at the end of March and honeymooning at the beginning of June. We already booked everything with my maiden name since I wasn't sure how long the process would take with how busy I'll be with teaching at the end of a school year. I'll just wait to change my name when we come back and have plenty of time to focus on it, but I'll be interested to see how long other people have experienced.

It also depends on how long it takes to get a certified copy of your license back. I would just wait until you get back.

So im in pa. This is how it went for me. Got married friday, got certificate from courthouse Wednesday. Friday went to the social security office, was there less than an hour, had all the right info and got it done. About 10 days later I got me social security card. Went to penn dot to get new license. Took about 3 hours there. Got everything done in about 3 weeks. You can print out the info for social security online. Here you need your social changed before you change your license.

I've been told to hold off on changing my name until after the honeymoon just to avoid all that trouble! appointments can be hard to get and you might have to expedite your passport which is $$$$

We’re getting married in May and our honeymoon is in June. Even if I could somehow get everything done in less than a month, I’d rather not rush important paperwork, especially my passport. Everything’s already booked under my maiden name so I’m waiting until we get back to start the process.

I would wait just because you never know if something could get messed up or something get filed wrong. Also, some airlines and airports require that the name at the time of booking is the same as the same on the passport so if you bought the tickets under your maiden name you should keep that name until after the flight

I also agree to wait until after your honeymoon to change your name. I got married in CA and it took 6.5 weeks to receive my marriage certificates. It takes up to 2 weeks to get the new SS card in the mail, and up to 60 days to get the new DL. I was married in October and won't be finished changing my name until late February because of trips.

Wait until you are back to change it. When you change it at the social security office, your passport in your maiden name becomes invalid. It's possible no one will check, but if they do for some reason, you don't exist as a person and theoretically may not be able to get back in the country. If your flight is booked in your maiden name, your passport HAS to match that, so if you do update your passport you will also have to change the name on your ticket, which may incur a fee.

Getting my new social security card took two weeks (they mail it to you), then I had to expedite my passport for a work trip that came up right AFTER I got back from my honeymoon and changed my name with social security, since I didn't have any trips planned. Luckily that meant my company will reimburse me the fees for my passport!

Also I haven't updated my license yet. It's technically not as big of a priority. Once you change at social security though, passport should be done asap.

One more reason to not change your name!

If your passport has your maiden name, you just need a copy of your marriage certificate to prove name change at airport (if that's your main concern) no need to wait it that's the case.

Depends what state you live in - in MN it took about ten days to get our "raised seal" copy of our license back. DMV - took about a week to get my new license back. Social Security (the feds, I know) I mailed in all the stuff they need and got my new card in a week!

If you want to travel under your married name you will have plenty of time to get all the stuff changed, March to July is a big chunk of time. A passport should not take that long.

I'm not married yet so i don't know that struggle but my mom tells this story...

they got married in 1991, my mom and dad. they were 29 and 34 respectively, and didn't do a registry so they got $$ from their friends/family and decided to book a honeymoon to Barbados with it. they both had their passports already, but my dad thought it would be "cute" to book her ticket, hotel reservation, and a bunch of other things before they left in her new married name. cute right? NOT. she got detained on the way back home because her passport, ID's and flight ticket names didn't match. they were detained for 3 hours and missed the flight home and had to wait for the next one. they wouldn't let her leave Barbados... until dad remembered he still had the marriage certificate and showed it, and they had to CALL THE STATE to make sure it was legit...

so yeah, even though that was 26 years ago... airports and other countries have so much more security now it would just be better if all your stuff matched. i would say just take the honeymoon in the maiden name and change it when you get home