Changing your name when you get married

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icon"> <a class="no-external-link" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240507120830/https://www.govt.nz/organisations/births-deaths-and-marriages/births-deaths-marriages-offices/in-new-zealand/"> <span>Births, Deaths and Marriages</span> <i aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-None"></i> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-7 col-md-offset-1 ga-content-container main-content"> <div class="title-row"> <h1 id="toplink" tabindex="-1">Changing your name when you get married</h1> <p class="page-description">In New Zealand, you don’t usually have to do anything special if you want to change your name after you get married or have a civil union.</p> </div> <div class="block-middle hidden-md hidden-lg"> <div class="NavButtonsPageFeature page-feature hidden-md hidden-lg"> <ul class="nav-buttons"> <h2 class="imitate-h4">Contact</h2> <li class="sidelink-blue icon"> <a class="no-external-link" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240507120830/https://www.govt.nz/organisations/births-deaths-and-marriages/births-deaths-marriages-offices/in-new-zealand/"> <span>Births, Deaths and Marriages</span> <i aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-None"></i> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <h2>Name options after getting married</h2><p>When you get married, you can:</p><ul> <li>keep your last name</li> <li>take your husband, wife or partner’s last name</li> <li>hyphenate or use a combination of both your last names with a space in between.</li> </ul><h2>Example of combining names</h2><p>If Alex Coleman married Jaime Eastwood, either or both people can use any of these combinations:</p><ul> <li>Coleman Eastwood</li> <li>Coleman-Eastwood</li> <li>Eastwood Coleman</li> <li>Eastwood-Coleman.</li> </ul><h2>How to change your name</h2><p>If you want to change your last name, you do not usually have to complete any forms or go through a process.</p><p>When you get married, you’ll be sent a form to update your details on the electoral roll. Otherwise, you can just start using your new last name.</p><p>Different organisations have different rules for proving identification (ID), but you can usually use your marriage certificate if you need proof to show you’ve taken your partner’s last name.</p><p>You can choose to legally change your name — it’s up to you.</p><p><a title="Change your own name" href="/web/20240507120830/https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports-citizenship-and-identity/changing-your-name/change-your-own-name/">Change your own name</a></p><h2>Travelling overseas with your new name</h2><p>The name on your passport and tickets must be the same as your officially registered name.</p><p>If you legally change your name, you’ll need to:</p><ul> <li>update your passport</li> <li>book tickets using your new name.</li> </ul><p><a title="Changing your name on your passport" href="/web/20240507120830/https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports-citizenship-and-identity/changing-your-name/changing-your-name-on-your-passport/">Changing your name on your passport</a></p><p>If you do not legally change your name, you’ll need to:</p><ul> <li>book tickets using your old name so the name on the ticket matches your passport.</li> </ul><h2>Changing your name on your driver licence</h2><p>You do not have to update your driver licence if you change your name when you get married, even if you legally change your name.</p><p><a title="Changing your name on your driver licence" href="/web/20240507120830/https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports-citizenship-and-identity/changing-your-name/changing-your-name-on-your-driver-licence/">Changing your name on your driver licence</a></p><h2>Using your birth surname</h2><p>If you want to add your birth surname as a middle name, you need to officially change your name by statutory declaration.</p><p><a title="Change your own name" href="/web/20240507120830/https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports-citizenship-and-identity/changing-your-name/change-your-own-name/">Change your own name</a></p><p>If you want to go back to using your birth surname, you usually do not need to apply for a name change — you can just start using your old name.</p> <div class="block-bottom "> <h2 class="sr-only">Utility links and page information</h2> <div class="PrintPageFeature page-feature"> <div class="print-container"> <button type="button" id="print-page-button" hidden> Print </button> </div> </div> <div class="SharePageFeature page-feature"> <div class="social"> <p class="social__heading">Share by</p> <ul class="social__list"> <li class="social__list__item"><a class="social__list__link" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240507120830/mailto:/?subject=I%20wanted%20to%20share%20this%20page%20with%20you%20from%20www.govt.nz%20&body=Changing your name when you get married%20%0D%0Ahttps://www.govt.nz/browse/family-and-whanau/getting-married/changing-your-name-when-you-get-married/" target="_self" rel="noopener">Email</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="FeedbackPageFeature page-feature"> <noscript> <div class="inline-feedback-form"> <div class="error-container"> <p> JavaScript is currently turned off in your browser — this means you cannot submit the feedback form. 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Changing your name when you get married | New Zealand Government