How to Change your Name in Australia

A name is seen to be an intrinsic part of an individual’s identity. And yet there may be occasions when a person wants to adopt a name other than the one he/she was given at birth. This could be due to a change in marital or religious status or even out of security concerns. If you are living in Australia and wish to change your name, here is how you can go about it.

First of all a change of name in Australia need not always involve an official process. If you are married in Australia a formal Change of Name is not required if you wish to take your spouse's name. A Standard Marriage Certificate is usually sufficient evidence to have personal documentation, such as your driver's licence and passport, changed to your married surname. A person may use a new name without any formal steps. At common law, a person will not actually change his or her name until the person has used and become known by the new name.

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However, occasions may arise where a person will be asked to provide proof of change of name, for example as proof of identity or to obtain a passport. On such occasions an official change of name becomes necessary. And in Australia, you will have to do this by getting in touch with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry of the state you live in. In New South Wales for instance, the Registry assumed the administrative responsibility for registering all changes of name since 01-Apr-96. All changes of name are registered in accordance with provisions contained in Part 5 of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995.

Who is qualified?

All the states in Australia allow individuals over the age of eighteen to apply for a change of name. You need to possess a birth certificate of the state where you are applying for the name change or you need to have lived there for a particular period of time. The stipulated time for residence usually differs from one state to another. For instance in New South Wales, it is consecutive three years where in the state of Victoria, it is the last twelve months prior to your application. In some states like NSW, you can also apply for a change of name if your birth is not registered in NSW and a protection order has been made to protect you and/or your children from domestic violence.

The Procedure

You need to download the application form from the website of the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages of the state where you wish to apply for the name change. Once you fill the application form fully and correctly, you will to include several other documents which usually include a Statutory Declaration form, Payment Details form, various forms of your identification and your original certificates which can be your Birth Certificate  or Change of Name Certificate. if born overseas a current Australian Passport, Australian Citizenship Certificate or permanent residency visa may be required. The details of the required documents are likely to change depending on the state where you intend to apply. also if you have changed your name previously you must produce evidence of those changes of name.

After you accompany these with the relevant fees in keeping with the appropriate mode of payment, you will have to mail the package to the address of the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. In some states like Victoria, you need to sign your application in front of a qualified witness, who must also sign your application.

Next you will be called for an interview at the Registry office and then if all your documentation is accurate and complete, your application for change of name will be processed further.

Cost

Likewise, the cost of the official change of name process will also differ from one state to another. Usually these include the price of the application form as well as the cost of your change of name certificate. In New South Wales for instance the cost for a Change of Name for an adult and child are the same – for urgent applications, it is $198 while for non-urgent applications, it is $154. In Queensland, the cost of name change registration is $91.10 which comprises of standard certificate fee of $27.80 as well as the non-refundable application fee of $63.30. In the Australian Capital Territory, the cost of application to register change of name for an adult is $98 while including a certificate would cost $137. in Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, the application to register a change of name including the issue of the relevant certificate would cost you $154. Certificates are distributed through registered post and prices listed are usually inclusive of a postage and handling fee.

The final step to changing your name will be to inform various departments like banking, insurance, taxation and motor vehicles so that they can update your new name on all their documents. Essentially this means that your passport, driver’s license, banking, insurance and taxation documents will be carrying your new name. Very often you may have to shell out extra money for all this and be prepared to spend a good deal of time too. So while your change of name certificate may reach you within a few weeks, getting your name changed in everything else may require many more weeks.

However if you are thinking of changing your name in Australia, make sure your intentions are above board. If a person alters their name or uses an additional or other name with the intention to act fraudulently or with an intention to deceive or in any other way which contravenes the law, they may be subject to criminal proceedings. Also the relevant authorities may reject your application for name change if they believe that your proposed new name is similar to an official title or if it is offensive to a particular group.