You may be eager to get a fresh start on life after your divorce from your soon-to-be former spouse is finalized. One of the more symbolic things you can do for this is to change your last name back to your birth name. Now, this process may work a little differently than when you got your married name. So without further ado, please follow along to find out how to change your last name during or after your divorce and how a proficient Bergen County divorce attorney at McNerney & McAuliffe can help make this as simple as possible.
How do I change my last name after getting a divorce?
Simply put, the easiest way to execute a name change is by including the request in your initial divorce complaint. Or, in your counterclaim, if your soon-to-be former spouse is the divorce petitioner. With this, the New Jersey family court may incorporate it into your final divorce judgment, and no further legal action is needed on your end.
Obviously, you may be preoccupied with more pressing matters at the time, and the thought of doing this slips your mind. Plus, given all the emotions you are trying to process at once, you may initially be reluctant to make such a drastic decision as to change your name. Well, you may attempt to amend your initial petition or counterclaim to include this before it is too late.
But if you only gain clarity and composure once everything is settled, you may file a post-judgment motion with the court that handled your divorce case. Here, you may have to produce proof of your divorce judgment, your birth certificate showing your birth name, your Social Security number showing your identity, and more.
What institutions must I inform of my last name change after divorce?
After getting your last name change legally recognized by the New Jersey family court, you must get other important institutions notified of this switch. That is, you should take a certified copy of your final divorce judgment or other court order and submit it to the Social Security Administration to get a new card reflecting your new legal name. You should do the same at the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles to get an updated driver’s license or state identification card.
Of note, you may use your Social Security card and state ID as necessary evidence when changing your recognized name with the United States Postal Service to address your mail going forward. Also, with your employer for your paycheck purposes, your financial institutions (i.e., banks, credit card companies, etc.) for your banking and authorized transactions purposes, utility companies and insurance providers for your billing purposes, and more.
Understandably, this may all seem like a headache during this especially overwhelming time. Well, to alleviate some of the pent-up stress, please turn to the legal aid of a proficient Bergen County family law attorney. Contact our office, McNerney & McAuliffe, right now; someone will be more than happy to speak with you.