You need to apply for a passport name change if you’ve had a change of name after you received your current passport. This change of name could either be due to your marriage or a court order. The passport name change will then have to be made so that your new name would be reflected on your passport. There are different procedures you can go through when applying for this, all of which will depend on the date your passport was issued, and the legal documents you have to prove your name change. More of this as we go along this article.

Before you apply for a passport name change, you first need to verify when your passport was issued. That’s because the type of procedure you’ll follow will depend on the date of issuance of your passport. To verify the date, all you need to do is check your passport where your personal details are found.

Now, onto the first option. If your pasport was issued within one year, here are the requirements you need to fulfill: present your current and valid passport, two recent color passport photos, as well as the legal documents that prove your name change. These will either be a court order or a marriage certificate, depending on what’s applicable to you. Then finally, you also have to accomplish Form DS-5504, the form you fill in when applying for a passport name change.

Keep in mind that there are no fees to have your passport processed if it is less than a year old. However, there will be applicable fees should you decide to have the process expedited. Expediting your passport application can cut your waiting time from four to six weeks in routine processing to just two to three weeks. So if you need to have your passport sooner than later, then have your passport name change expedited.

Now let’s talk about the other option you have. If your passport was issued more than a year ago, here are the things you need to submit: your current and valid passport, two recent color passport photos, the legal document that shows your change of name (again, your marriage contract or a court order). You will notice that these are basically the same documents required in the first option.

The only difference in this option is that you’ll fill in a different form, DS-82. This form allows you to apply for a passport name change through the mail. Aside from that, there’s a corresponding fee for this type of application.

You have an alternative option just in case you don’t have the legal documents required in the previous two options. Once again, you’ll need to submit your current and valid passport, two passport photos, the completed DS-11 form, plus the applicable fees. Since you don’t have the legal documents needed to prove your name change, you will then be required to submit three public records with your place of birth. These records should indicate the exclusive use of your new name for at least five years. Once you have completed these requirements, you’ll then need to submit them in person.

When applying for a U.S. passport name change, the ones we discussed above are the options available to you. Once you have determined them, you’ll then know what kind of option you have to choose.

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