How To Legally Change Your Name

By Author: Salvatore Andrea
Total Articles: 6261
Comment this article

Each year thousands of people apply for a name change. Changing name of oneself is a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution of every country, however, one has to abide by certain rules and regulations and the whole process is to be guided by law.
If you wish to legally change your name then you must first consult a very good lawyer. The process of changing one’s name or surname can be time consuming but has to be done with proper care as it is vital and critical.

If you have to change your surname after marriage then it requires an updating of your social security card, driving license, bank account, insurance policies and credit card and so on. This is a time consuming process but is not complicated.
However, changing of name is a complicated process as one needs the assistance of a lawyer. If you wish to change your name then you will be subjected to a primary probe as to whether you have any police cases against you or whether you are trying to evade any case.

Only when the court orders the sanction, can your name be changed. However, changing of names in case of minor citizens need ...
... no court proceedings and can be done with the valid documents and identity proofs.

There are various types of name changing process like informal name changing; legal name changing and common law name changing. Among these, legal name changing is a court guided process whereas, in some countries, name changing can be done informally with required proof and adequate documents.

There are certain limitations on name changing; the new name that you select cannot infringe on others’ rights. You cannot select the name of an eminent person, living or dead as it might lead to defamation. Thus, contact a lawyer to know all these subtleties and nuances of changing a name.