A birth certificate shows the name you were given at birth, plus other information such as time, date, city and state of birth.
If you’ve been married, divorced or otherwise gone before a judge to change your legal name, YOU DO NOT GO BACK AND CHANGE YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE – despite what some of the political and media talking heads would lead you to believe.
Instead, obtain a certified copy of your marriage certificate, divorce decree or other legal paperwork documenting the circumstances surrounding your name change. Contact the Clerk of Court in the county where the event was recorded to obtain certified copies. Costs and timeframe for document delivery will vary. Keep this paperwork with your birth certificate to document your current name.
Need a copy of your birth certificate? Check with your parents, to see if they still have it. If not, order a certified copy from the Department of Vital Records in the state where you were born. This may cost about $20 and take 1-2 weeks to arrive.
Is it fair that the onus is primarily on women to have to take these extra steps to document a name change? Not necessarily, but I’m the one who chose to change my last name to match my husband’s. Yes, it was a hassle to have to change everything after we got married 35 years ago, including my passport – which I’d obtained in college to participate in a study abroad program.
Keep your important documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree, adoption/guardianship paperwork, passport, deed, car titles, wills, healthcare directives, POA, Social Security card, etc.) in a small locked fireproof box in your home. You can easily grab it in case you need to leave in an emergency situation.
Why do we hang on to these documents? That certified copy of our marriage certificate finally saw the light of day again in 2021 when I added hubby to my health insurance plan during open enrollment as part of our preparations for early retirement.
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