Saturday, September 21

How to change your name before the DMV in the United States


En ciertos contextos, es necesario cambiar de nombre en los archivos del DMV.
In certain contexts, a name change is required on file with the DMV.

Photo: Austin Kirk / Unsplash

As the name is the main source of information associated with each person, certain events may determine the obligation to change it in the Department’s files of Motor Vehicles (DMV) , mainly marriages, divorces and adoptions. The correct appearance of the name in the files will guarantee, among other things, the monitoring of driving through the driver’s license granted by this office. This procedure is usually one of the most difficult because it involves the same request in other instances before arriving at the DMV.

Considering that the laws of each state vary with respect to the rest of the country, the main requirement that a person must meet to be able to change their name in the DMV is have fulfilled the same application in the Insurance Administration Social (SSA) . According to what this office requires, the procedure must be carried out in person or by mail, there is no online method to do it. The steps to meet this first requirement are as follows:

1. Complete the form to request a Social Security card.

2. Provide legal name change documents: marriage certificate, divorce decree, court ordered name change.

3. Provide proof of identity : United States driver’s license or passport.

4. Provide proof of US citizenship: US birth certificate, certificate of citizenship.

This first procedure is necessary because the DMV verifies the name and other personal data through the information provided by the SSA. In that sense, when this first application is finalized, people can go to a local DMV office to carry out the name change on their own. In addition to the driver’s license, the applicant must ensure that the same procedure is followed for the registration and title of the car, two documents over which the DMV also has power.

Although each person can request or carry out this procedure on their own, The DMV recommends hiring the services of a specialized company to avoid all the long process that a name change can represent. Among the most celebrated agencies to carry out this procedure is MissNowMrs , a name change service approved by the government and aimed at those who wish to streamline the entire process.

You may also like: How can I get my license back if it has been stolen in the United States