The reasons for changing your name are many. You may do this as a result of a marriage or divorce, and it may also be as a choice regarding a career. No matter what the reason for changing your name, you will want to change all of your legal documents as well. This includes changing your name on your passport. A passport name change is simple, but the process will vary depending on how long you have had your passport.

A passport name change is just one of the legal documents that you will need to change. You will also need to change your licensee and your social security card. When doing this you will need to prove who you are and that you legally changed your name.

It is a good idea to keep copies of these original documents for future purposes. One example of why you might need these is the case of trying getting a drivers license in a new state. In many cases if you move you'll need to prove who you were in order to obtain a license or ID.

A passport name change can occur different ways. The method that you select will be governed by the time it has been since you obtained your passport and whether you have legal documentation supporting your name change. The period of time that has transpired since you first filed for your passport will also determine whether you owe a fee for a passport name change.

If it has been less than a year since you first received your passport, you will not need to pay a fee and the application you need will be different than if you have had your passport for a longer period of time. The proper form in this case is the DS-5504 form. This form will need to completely filled out and mailed in. You may also be required to provide two photos that are recent and meet passport specifications.

If it has been less than a year since you obtained your original passport then there will not be a fee for processing your passport name change. This information and documentation needs to be addressed to the National Passport Processing Center, Post Office Box 90107, Philadelphia, PA, 19190-0107.

If more than a year has transpired since your original passport was issued then you will need to mail your current passport, a filled out DS-82, the applicable fees, and a copy of your marriage certificate or name change decree. You will also need two recent color photos. This all should be mailed to the address on the back of Form DS-82.

Be sure to provide certified copies of your marriage certificate or name change document. Notarized Photostatted copies are not accepted. If you don’t have the proper paperwork then you will need to acquire it before sending in the paperwork for the name change.

In the case that you do not have this documentation, you can obtain your documents at the county clerk's office in the county where you were married. Keep in mind that the typical processing period for a US passport name change is 3 to 4 weeks. It you need this sooner you can pay a fee to speed it up a week or so. You may also contact the Congressional office in your state to get the American passport process expedited.