Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe—wherever you head on your honeymoon, planning this special trip is one of the highlights of the wedding preparations. But with all the excitement of the trip, and all the other considerations when planning the wedding, it’s very easy to forget about the essentials.
One thing that many people forget to consider until the last moment is whether changing their name after they get married will affect their honeymoon travel arrangements. This can result in a huge panic that no one needs on their wedding day, so what exactly are the correct procedures?
Wait Until After the Honeymoon
The general advice is not to worry about anything to do with your new name until after you get home from your honeymoon. In order to change your name, you need to show your marriage license. This is only given to you just before the wedding, which means you would have to change your name and get a new passport before traveling on your honeymoon, which for many people simply isn’t feasible.
On top of that, you would have to change your name in your plane tickets as well, for which an extra charge would be required.
Your names on your travel ticket must match the name in your passport in order to be valid. So unless you want to delay your honeymoon until after you have changed your name then it is much better to just wait and do it all together at a later date.
Applying for a Passport Name Change
If you apply for a name change on your passport through the US State Department, there are different rules regarding this process. If your passport is less than a year old, you can change the name in your passport for free after it has been legally changed. You will need to send in your current passport, the marriage certificate or a certified copy, and Form DS-5504.
If you applied for your passport over a year ago, you will need to send the same documentation as above, but rather than Form DS-5504 you will need to send Form DS-82 instead. In this case a fee will apply.
Use a Professional Passport Service
At Passports and Visas.com we provide first-rate passport services, including name changes on your passport. Want your name changed in a hurry? We also offer an expedited service to get your passport changed in as little as one day.
Relax and Enjoy your Honeymoon
Whatever your honeymoon plans, changing your name is one thing that you don’t need to worry about until after you get home. So enjoy your honeymoon, and then on your return change your name legally and follow this up by getting a name change in your passport.
Tags: honeymoon, name change, passport, wedding
