US Citizen (Wife) Name change

[RocnKimcollabo 0]

Good Afternoon-

I am getting married soon and would like to have my mother's maiden name and husband's last name as my new last name.

Would I have to go to court to have my last name formally changed? I thought once a woman gets married she can automatically carry her husband's name without having to go to court, as long as she has documented proof that she is married, etc.

Please note, I am a US Citizen.

[bszoom42 0]

The name change rules vary per state. That being said, what you are looking to do does not sound so complicated.

Let me confirm what you are asking.

Let's say your name is "Lisa Marie Presley" and you are marrying "Michael Jackson".

Just by showing your marriage certificate, you should be able to change your name to "Lisa Marie Jackson" without issues.

You should also be able to change your name to "Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson" or "Lisa Marie Jackson-Presley". That is a bit more complicated, but very doable, especially since it is more common to hyphenate these days then it used to be.

If you are looking for a full range of after marriage name change options, then get married in a state that prints your full maiden and full married on the certificate.

You can look at this thread for more details about name change options: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=81436.

Best of Luck!