How to change your name after marriage

No. If you married in Australia and are taking, adding or hyphenating your spouse's surname, you do not need a formal legal name change or a deed poll. Your official marriage certificate from your state Births, Deaths and Marriages is your legal proof of the new name. You simply show that certificate to each organisation and they update your record.

Order your official marriage certificate from the Births, Deaths and Marriages registry in the state where you married, then notify each organisation using it as proof. The smartest order is to update your photo ID first (driver licence and Medicare), because once your ID shows your married name, banks and everyone else accept the change with far less fuss. Surname Switch builds that ordered list, prefills the official forms, and drafts every notification email for you.

Yes, as long as it is the official registered certificate, not the decorative ceremonial one your celebrant hands you on the day. Organisations only accept the official version issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages. It is the same certificate you order online from your state registry, usually for a small fee.

There is no deadline. You can take your spouse's surname straight away or years later, and there is no penalty for waiting. One timing tip: if your passport has more than two years left, you can usually get a free name-change reissue within a set window after your wedding, so it is worth doing your passport early.

Your driver licence, then Medicare. Once your photo ID shows your married name, it becomes the proof everyone else accepts, so banks, super funds and utilities process the change with far less fuss. Do your passport early too if you have travel booked, because tickets must match your passport name.

Yes. Plenty of people use their married name personally and keep their original name professionally, or the other way around. Marriage gives you the right to use your spouse's surname, not an obligation, and no registration is needed for either choice. If you ever want your work records in the married name later, your marriage certificate still does it.

Yes. You can take your spouse's surname, add it to yours, or hyphenate them into a double-barrelled name, all using your marriage certificate as proof, with no formal registration. Creating a brand-new blended surname that neither of you held before (sometimes called meshing) is treated as a new name, so that usually needs a formal change of name through Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Yes. Either partner, or both, can change their surname after marriage. It works exactly the same way regardless of gender: the marriage certificate is the proof, and there is no separate application.

The name change itself is free, because your marriage certificate is your proof and there is no government registration fee. Your only government costs are ordering the official certificate and renewing your passport if it is due. Surname Switch prepares all your notifications and your ordered plan from $25, with no subscription.

A foreign marriage certificate often is not accepted on its own by Australian organisations. In most cases the clean path is to register a formal change of name here first, then notify everyone with that change of name certificate. Our questionnaire checks this for your situation and explains exactly what to do.