Questions, answered

Usually not. If you married in Australia and are taking or adding your partner's surname, your official marriage certificate from Births, Deaths and Marriages is enough. There is no separate registration. You simply show that certificate to each organisation.

A foreign marriage certificate often will not be accepted on its own by Australian organisations. In most cases the clean path is to register a formal change of name here first. The questionnaire flags this for you and explains the steps.

When you are changing your name by personal choice, affirming your gender, fixing a spelling or name order, or married overseas. These go through your state or territory Births, Deaths and Marriages, who issue a change of name certificate.

In most states you can register a change once every 12 months, and up to three times in your lifetime, with some exceptions. We note your state's rule when it applies.

Building your plan takes a few minutes. The updates themselves depend on each organisation, but with every message ready and the right order mapped out, most people save many hours and weeks of back and forth.

Surname Switch has two plans, each a one-off payment with no subscription. Lite is $25 and gives you your full plan in the right order, step-by-step guides and a direct link for every organisation. Powered is $65 and adds an AI-drafted message for every organisation, plus prefilled official forms wherever one exists (AEC, Medicare, super and more). If a formal change of name applies, the state government charges its own fee, generally $130 to $220, paid directly to them.

Yes. AI writes a tailored notification for each organisation, in plain, polite Australian English, with your name change and the right proof already in it. You review it, add any account number, then copy and send. It is one of four things we do for you: prefilled forms, drafted emails, one ordered checklist, and your real companies in the right order.

Marriage, getting married soon, divorce or separation, a personal change by deed poll, and fixing a spelling or name order, across every Australian state and territory.

Most Australians update around 55 organisations, though it depends on your life. We start you with the common ones and let you add anything specific to you.

For government ID and banks, the law needs you to make those changes yourself, often in person or by secure login. For everything else we prepare the message or the prefilled form, so all you do is review and hit send.

You update your driver licence with your state or territory road authority (for example Service NSW, VicRoads, or Transport and Main Roads in Queensland), usually in person at a service centre, taking your proof of name change. It is worth doing first, because once your licence shows your new name it becomes easy photo ID for everyone else. Surname Switch tells you the exact office and documents for your state.

Call Medicare on 132 011 and they update it on the call, or take your certificate into a Services Australia service centre. A legal name change cannot be submitted through the myGov online account, which only updates your contact details and your preferred name. It is free either way, and your Medicare number does not change.

Changing your name on a passport is treated as a new passport application through the Australian Passport Office, with your change of name proof. If your surname is changing through marriage, divorce or reverting, and your passport still has two or more years to run, the replacement is free and keeps the same expiry date; otherwise standard application fees apply. Do this early, because your passport name should match your travel bookings.

Most Australian banks let you update your name in the app, in online banking, or in a branch, with your proof of name change. Once your photo ID already shows the new name, banks accept the change with very little fuss. Surname Switch drafts the message or points you to the right form for each of your banks and cards.

You update the electoral roll through the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), and your tax records through the ATO, usually via myGov or their forms. On the Powered plan we prefill the AEC enrolment form for you, and draft the ATO update, so these government steps are quick.

Update your foundation ID first, your driver licence and Medicare, then your passport, then money (banks, super, insurance), then everyday accounts (utilities, telco, loyalty, employer). Updated photo ID unlocks everything else, so the order genuinely saves you time. Your Surname Switch plan arranges this automatically.

Some organisations accept a clear photo or scan, while others ask for a certified copy of your marriage or change of name certificate. It is worth ordering a couple of certified copies up front so you are not held up. We flag where certified proof is typically needed.

No. Changing your name in Australia does not require a lawyer. After marriage your certificate is your proof, and a formal change of name is a straightforward registration you can lodge yourself with Births, Deaths and Marriages. Surname Switch handles the notifications that come after.

We ask for the minimum, we never keep copies of your ID, and your details are cleared once your kit is done. We never sell or trade your data. There is a full plain English explanation on the Your data page.

No. We never ask you to upload identity documents. You attach your own proof directly to each organisation when you send.

No. We never ask for them. You add account numbers yourself, on your own device, right before you send each message.