When I get married can I change my given name at the same time as I change my surname

Hi Rebecca,

Great question! When you get married, you’re only able to change your surname through your marriage certificate.. it doesn’t allow you to change your given name at the same time. So your celebrant is required to register your legal name as it appears on your birth certificate or current official ID.

If you’d like to be officially known as “Bec” rather than “Rebecca,” you would need to apply for a formal change of given name with Births, Deaths and Marriages separately. Once that’s approved, you can then use that legal name in combination with your husband’s surname after marriage.

That said, you’re always welcome to be referred to as “Bec” throughout your ceremony and in your vows, it doesn’t affect the legal paperwork.

Warm Regards,
Mark

No, you cannot change your given name at the same time as changing your surname through marriage.

When you marry, you have the option to:

• Take your partner's surname
• Keep your own surname
• Hyphenate both surnames

However, changing your given name (first name) is a completely separate legal process from marriage. It's not part of the marriage registration or name change process. You would need to apply separately through your state or territory's Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Hi Bec. As celebrants, we don't register your new name.

We can apply for your Official Certificate of Marriage from BDM for you to use in changing your surname, but actaully doing the run-around to change your surname on everything...thats a "fun" task for you to do.

You can start using your new surname straight away, however you will need the Official Certificate of Marriage to be able to change it with banks, passport office, drivers license etc.

There is no need for you to do a Name Change process with BDM for your surname. However, if you want to change your first name, then that is a whole other process, and you will definitely need to do the official Name Change with BDM. I would change it before the ceremony if you have time so that all of your marriage paperwork is under the name Bec.

Hope that helps.

Hi Bec, 

Your celebrant will only be able to register your current legal name, which at this stage is Rebecca. After you are married you are able to take your husband name, but you are not able to make a change to your other given names. You would need to make a seperate application to change "Rebecca" to "Bec" (there is a fee required to do that) 

So yes...you will need to chnage your given name to "Bec" before your wedding ceremony. 

I hope this is helpful. :))

Hi there Bec,

Great question and one that comes up quite a bit when people are thinking about their names after marriage in NSW.

When you get married in NSW, the only name change that can happen (through your marriage certificate you can order via Service NSW) is the surname.

You can:

• Take your spouse’s surname,
• Hyphenate both surnames, or
• Keep your current surname.
  
  

You cannot change your given name (first name) through marriage. That means your celebrant can’t register “Bec” instead of “Rebecca” when lodging your marriage paperwork with Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM). Your marriage certificate will always show the full legal name you had before marriage.

What you can do if you want “Bec” officially (and you casn do this anytime, no matter if you get married or not):
If you’d like your legal first name to be Bec (so your new name would be e.g. Bec [Husband’s Surname]), you’ll need to apply separately for a Change of Name through NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages, either before or after the wedding. Once approved, you’ll get a new birth certificate and can then use that alongside your marriage certificate to update your identity documents.

I guess, in everyday life, you can of course continue to use “Bec” socially and professionally without formally changing it, but for passports, licences, banks etc., only the legal name on your documents will be accepted. There you go :) 

Now, when you're getting married? 

Much love, Andy

Hello Bec.

Your Celebrant can change neither your given name nor your surname, I'm afraid. We have to use the legal names recorded on your identity documents.

To change your given name would require you to do so legally, via deed poll. The Celebrant then submits the paperwork for the legal name change when they submit the paperwork to the BDM, thereby verifying the veracity of the name change. 

You can only change your surname once you have received your Official Certificate of Marriage, which gives you the authority to take your husbands surname.. or vice versa ??.

I hope this helps, Bec.

Hi Bec, your Celebrant should be able to answer this question for you (if you have one yet?)

Once you are married, the only name you can 'change by marriage' is your surname to your partner's surname, either dropping your surname or hypennating it. If you want to change your first name, then this would have to be done as a formal legal name change through the Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages.

If you have time, you can change your first name to 'Bec' before you get married - that way all the marriage certificates will have 'Bec' on them, and then you can proceed to change your surname by marriage afterwards. Hope this information helps.

Hello :) my understanding of the process is that you won't be able to do both in one, there is a separate application of you want a name other than just the last name of your partner. It will all be on the BDM website, try this link: Change your name (adult born in Victoria) | bdm.vic.gov.au https://share.google/sCY7gOOKEvnecaqHN