How to change your last name in NJ
How to change your last name in NJ? Can I change my middle name to my maiden name in NJ? We get these questions a lot, so wanted to share our most recent update (as of June 6th, 2016). As stated in previous posts, rules around middle name changes are frequently changing (New York has just updated their policy to include middle name changes this year). We strongly recommend checking to make sure your state allows the name change you wish before submitting any paperwork. We are happy to check for you – just email us when you are ready to change your name.
The real issue with making your maiden name your middle name has always been with the NJ MNC (the SSA is supportive of this change nationwide). When we checked in last week, we received mixed information when speaking to 4 different customer service agents. We followed up a fifth time by email and received the following email correspondence.
Thank you for your email inquiry. Your maiden name cannot be used as a middle name unless it is court ordered. Your will need to provide 6 points of Id, you will need to bring your birth certificate along with your marriage certificate. Here is a link that will help assisst you with the 6 point ID: http://www.nj.gov/mvc/Licenses/6PointID.htm.
So, at this time, NJ is still not allowing this change without a court order. This is similar to NY State’s previous policy. When NY State had this policy in effect, several of our customers were successful using the following work-around. Full Disclosure: We do not guarantee that this will work, however, we have many customers that were successful using this process. It ended up saving them time and money vs. getting a court ordered name change. If you are considering doing this, feel free to email us and we can share if other customer’s have had success or challenges.
Potential Work-Around
The NJ MVC requires identification proof to total ‘6 points’ as per their system. They count your old driver’s license as 6 points, which is what most people show and is required in order to get your new license. If you get your SSA card first (1 point), US Passport (4 points) and a bank statement or record (1 point) – you can insist they use those documents as your proof documents (totalling 6 points) and they should use these for proof of name. Please review the 6 Point Checklist carefully. There are a lot of options to choose from to make up your 6 points. It will also guide you though what you need to provide proof of address.
Again, we do not guarantee that this will work but are reporting that we have spoken with some of our customers that have successfully changed their maiden name to their middle name in NJ using this method. Please email us if you have questions or are looking for a name change policy update for the State of NJ.
Hope that we have helped with this update on how to change your last name in NJ. Please email with any questions. Happy Name Changing! jo@imamrs.com
