Posts Tagged ‘US passport name change’
February 3rd, 2010
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Although it has become a bit more complicated to obtain a passport than it ever has been before, having changes made to your passport does not have to be a difficult or expensive process. New security measures at the boarders have been initiated over the last ten years that have somewhat complicated the passport process. These regulations have made some people hesitant to apply for simple changes to their passports, like a passport name change. These changes can be simple to make, however.
It is quite straightforward in most cases to apply for changes to your passport and it is normally also quite affordable. Most of the common changes that people need to apply for do not even require a fee and only a short form is required to process the change. There are fees that are imposed for certain changes and to have these changes done in a speedy fashion there is also a small fee.
Quite commonly passports arrive with printing errors like misspellings or incorrect information. It is important to get these issues fixed as soon as possible, but these changes can be made any time during the valid dates on the passport. The DS-5504 form is the form you will need to have to get these changes processed. This form can be picked up at a post office and dropped back off at one. You can also simply print it out online and mail it to the address on the form.
Another common change that people need is a name change. This is often needed if a marriage or divorce has taken place since the passport was issued. There is no fee for this change either unless expedited service is needed. The DS-5504 form must be used and it must be submitted one year or less after the passport was issued. This form can be easily printed out online and returned to your local post office. It can also be mailed to the address on the form.
If it has been more than one year since your passport was issued and you need a name change, there will be a small fee for the service. Expedited service will add $60 to this fee. The DS-82 form will be required for this sort of passport name change. You can fill this form out at the post office and pay the fees there or you can fill out the form and mail it with the fee included.
Sometimes additional Vista pages are needed to be added and this can be done anytime a passport is valid. There is no fee for this change, but a $60 fee will be added for expedited service. There is no time limit for when this must be done or extra fees after a certain amount of time has passed since issuance.
It costs about $120 to apply for and have a passport issued today. A passport can be processes quickly if the $60 fee for expedited service is paid. Another $60 may be added if the applicant cannot prove citizenship and the government must verify citizenship. These are relatively small fees, but they can add up if many unique services are needed.
Most changes to new passport are free of charge and can also be processed quickly if needed for a small fee. Making changes to your passport does not have to cause unneeded complications. Although it has become a bit more complicated to acquire a United States passport name change, it is still relatively easy to make changes to one.
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February 1st, 2010
There are many different reasons why you may chose to legally change your name, perhaps you just got married, or you prefer it for a professional reason. Regardless of the reason, you need to change your name on legal documentation, including your passport. There are steps you will need to take when conducting a passport name change.
A passport name change is just one of the legal documents that you will need to change. You will also need to change your licensee and your social security card. When doing this you will need to prove who you are and that you legally changed your name.
It is a good idea to keep copies of these original documents for future purposes. One example of why you might need these is the case of trying getting a drivers license in a new state. In many cases if you move you’ll need to prove who you were in order to obtain a license or ID.
There are a few different ways that a passport name change can occur. Which method you will need will be based on the time period that has elapsed since you originally obtained your passport. The length of this time period affects the fee required for the passport name change.
If it has been less than a year since you obtained your passport and you have legal documentation supporting your name change, then you will need to mail your current passport, a filled out DS-5504 application, and a photocopy of your marriage certificate or name change decree. You may also need to present two recent photos along with the documentation listed above.
The DS-5504 form can be mailed into the National Passport Processing Center. In this case there is not a fee for processing the passport name change. You will need to mail this form and the proper documentation to PO Box 90107 in Philadelphia, PA, 19190-0107.
If you have had your passport in excess of a year, then you will need to handle your passport name change in a different manner. DS-82 is the correct form for this process. This form will require a fee and also two recent and correctly sized color pictures. This form gets mailed to the address indicated on the application.
Be sure to provide certified copies of your marriage certificate or name change document. Notarized Photostatted copies are not accepted. If you don’t have the proper paperwork then you will need to acquire it before sending in the paperwork for the name change.
If you need your marriage certificate or divorce decree you can contact the record department for the county clerk of courts. Keep in mind that the American passport name change typically takes three to four weeks to receive your U S passport. You may attempt to speed this up by paying an expedite fee or contacting the office of your state Congressional representative if there is an immediate need for assistance.
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January 16th, 2010
Learning how to get a passport name change is important if you want your passport to reflect the change in your name since your most recent passport. A name change applies when you get married (and have taken on a different surname), or your name has changed through a court order. In both instances, you will have to go through the passport office for this passport.
The procedure you need to go through when changing your name in your passport depends on when your latest passport was issued. There’s a separate procedure for those whose passports were issued within a one-year period, and then another one for passports issued more than a year ago. Check your current passport to determine the date it was issued.
If your passport was issued over a year ago, you are required to apply for a passport name change through the mail. You will also need to submit the following requirements: your current valid passport, two recent color photographs of yourself, a certified or original copy of the document that proves your name change, as well as a completed DS-82 form. Take note that you will also have to pay an applicable fee for this kind of application.
Meanwhile, there’s another slightly different set of requirements if your passport is less than a year old. What you need to submit are: your latest passport, two copies of your recent ID picture, the supporting legal documents mentioned in the last paragraph, and the filled out DS-5504. This is the type of application you’ll fill in if you’re applying for a passport name change.
If your passport was issued less than a year ago, you will not be required to pay any fee whatsoever. You will, however, have to pay an additional fee if you take the expedited passport option. This is the option that you’re recommended to choose in case you need to leave the country within the next 10 weeks. Typically, expedited passports take two to three weeks to process.
There are instances where applicants who apply for a name change do not have the required documents needed, such as the marriage contract and the court order. If this situation applies to you, you shouldn’t worry because you still have an alternative option. This third option requires you to submit a DS-11 form for a passport application, two ID pictures, and your latest passport, as well as pay the applicable fee. Aside from these requirements, you will also need to present three public records with the date and place of birth that indicate the use of your current name for the last five years.
Filling in the Form DS-11 requires you to submit your application plus the supporting documents in person. Because of this, it’s very important that you check whether you have fulfilled every requirement even before you leave for the passport office. This saves you a lot of time.
Want to know how to get a U.S. Passport Name Change? That’s what we have discussed in the previous paragraphs. Just always remember to find out what procedure applies to you as it saves you time and ensures that your Pass Port name change proceeds smoothly.
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