Updating your name after you wed

After you are married, you have the right to use, or be identified by, your husband/wife/spouse's last name, if you choose.

The process of informing everyone (Department of Transport for your licence, passport office, your workplace, banks etc.) of your decision to be known by your new husband/wife/spouse's last name is commonly referred to as 'changing your name' (which is where it can get confusing), as this is not literally the case.

If you choose to use your husband/wife/spouse's last name (or you are creating a new hyphenated surname of both of your last names*), you are NOT changing your name as such, you are choosing to update your name because of marriage (there should not be a fee to do so).

You’ll need to tell various government agencies, banks, utility suppliers and other businesses your married name.

Organisations will have different requirements for what proof they need for your change of name; some may want to see:

- Your official marriage certificate (Obtained following the registration of your marriage as issued by the Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) office from the state in which your marriage took place).

- A certified photocopy of your official marriage certificate

- Evidence of updated photo ID

- A combination of identity documents.

What if I/we want an entirely different last name?

This is when you would need to go through a legal name change process via the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) in the state or territory you were born in. This is known as a name change by deed poll.

* It is worth noting that each State and Territory offices of the department of transport operate independently and some choose not to allow the use of a hyphenated combination of last names. Please enquire with your state or territory office before commencing the process.