How to Complete Marriage Name Change in Texas With Ease

Texas is one of the best states to get married. It makes it easy for couples to marry by providing lenient conditions. Once your status has changed, you want everyone to recognize that. The best route to take is to have a New Married Name. This enables people to recognize that you have transformed from ‘Miss’ into ‘Mrs.’ The state recognizes the desire for many couples to have a similar name and has therefore made it easy for you to change your name after marriage. Here are tips and the secrets you can follow to make the name change smooth as well as fast. 

Options Available When Changing Your Name after Marriage

The law allows you to change your name to anything you wish. This means that both partners can acquire new identities with ease. Some of the options when you need to change your name include

• Taking the last name of your spouse. This will result in a new name being added to your existing names. You may introduce a hyphen between your original names and the added one or you may allow the names to sound as one. This is easy because it allows you to maintain a large part of your previous identity. If you are a professional, people will recognize the new status while still having memory of the old self. 
• Adopt the last two names of your spouse without adding a hyphen. This change is a bit drastic. It means that you will be adapting almost a new identity and forgetting the old one. The level of scrutiny might be higher in this case because your names will have changed significantly. 
• Take a new name. This is for a couple that wants to have a totally new identity by shedding either of their names. The process involved in this case could be lengthy because you have to file an application at the court. It is easy to add a new name to the existing names than to pick a totally different one. This is why applications and advertisements are required in most states. The new name may be made from hyphenation of your two names or be unrelated to your old names. You make the decision on the name to choose. 

Change a name while collecting your marriage certificate is easy because it is proof that you have adopted a new name. In fact, you are not required to make any application or advertisement in the process. However, the sail is not always smooth for anyone who wants to be referred by a new name. The application to have your name changed may still be rejected even when it is based on marriage certificate. 

• Criminal acts- if you have a pending civil or criminal case, the court and even the registration office will decline to grant your application. The argument is that you are using the opportunity to escape justice. The court will order that you hold the application until the case has been resolved. 
• Escaping debts- has anyone filed a civil complaint about debt that you owe them? Authorities will decline to approve your application. If the name changes, it will be difficult to trace you since the history of your old name is erased. This is why the administration refuses to approve your application on the basis of pending debts. 
• Intent to commit criminal acts- if authorities establish that you are changing your name in order to conceal your identity and commit crimes, they will not grant your request. This applies even when you have been married. This is why you must declare your reasons for desiring to change your name despite the fact that you have been married. 
• Impersonate a popular figure- some people have names that sound like those of celebrities and other popular figures. They could easily pass as their namesakes. If you wish to change your name in order to resemble any of these figures, administrators will decline your application. However, you still have a chance to change to whichever name you wish because no one has a copyright to a name. Whether you are granted the wish will depend on how well you convince the authorities. 

Authorities may decline your application for any reason that they deem sufficient. However, it is your convincing power that will determine whether the application is approved or declined. You will be required to provide all supporting documents and have no hidden agenda when making the application. 

What next after getting the marriage certificate?

A marriage certificate in your new name appears as the ultimate step towards changing your name. While the certificate is a game changer, you still have a long way to go before you can be officially recognized with the new name. Because of increase in cases of identity theft, organizations are requiring consistency in names appearing on different documents. This makes it necessary to change your name officially on all documents used for identification. You will also need to update your name in institutions where you transact or have records. For instance, if you appear at the counter of your bank with an identification document that reads a different name, you will be suspected of identity theft. 

The change of name after obtaining the marriage certificate is a process. Here is a guide that will make it easy to update your name of all platforms and transform your identity completely. 

• Social Security Administration

This is your first stop after getting the marriage certificate with your new desired name. Organizations and government departments get their data from Social Security Administration. Once you have updated the name at the SSA office, you can use the new Social Security card to update the name on other platforms. 

The SSA office will require you to bring the previous proof of identity. Your driving license will serve the purpose. You will also be required to present the marriage certificate that bears your new name. Proof of address will also be used in confirming your personal details for update on the SSA database. 

The process of changing the name at SSA office takes two weeks. While you will be issued with a new SS card bearing your new name, the old details will remain captured in the system. You will maintain the old social security number. Once the name has been updated on the social security platform, it leaves you free to change your name on all other platforms like banks and social organizations. 

• Department of Motor Vehicle 

Make the Department of Motor Vehicle your next stop after Social Security Administration. The department will produce a new Driver’s License that can be used for identification purposes. DMV also enables you to change ownership details on the vehicle to be consistent with those of your Social Security card. In case the vehicle is co-owned, the other owner must be informed about the change of name. At the DMV, you can update your voter details to reflect the changes. You need to present the old identification documents like the Driver’s License and the new Social Security card. It helps to confirm your previous and present identities. 

• Financial Institutions 

Banks and institutions dealing with finances are extra careful about the identity of their customers. They will therefore demand that your name matches with that which appears on your Social Security card. The institutions where you are supposed to update your name include banks, mortgage companies, credit unions and insurance companies, among others. Your credit card name will also have to change. You might be required to visit the office directly, send an email or just call, depending on their verification procedures. It will be difficult and even almost impossible to transact without synchronizing the names.

• Social Circles 

Update your name and personal details in your social circles. This includes social groups like alumni associations, estate association, church and other welfare organizations where you are a member. Your names also need to correspond at postal services to ensure that your letters are not returned to sender. This could take a brief email or even a phone call to complete. Utility services providers also need to get an update on the name. Though they may not be too sensitive about the name, ensuring consistency will reduce confusion and make service provision easier for them. 

To ease the process of name change after marriage, it is advisable that you buy more certified copies of your marriage certification. Since this is the document you are using as your basis for name change, more copies will give you a chance apply for change in many institutions at the same time. This reduces the time it takes to complete name change. 

Use the Agency to Change Your Name 

The process of changing to your New Married Name appears hectic because you are required to move from one office to another. You can enlist the services of an agent that will move from one office to the other and also make applications on your behalf. This helps to speed up the process and will even cost less. You do not have to stop all your activities in order to make applications.