Important events in your life like marriage and divorce leads to changes in your identity. Your last name changes because that is what tradition and the law requires. Your documents must be updated in order to keep them accurate. There is a procedure to be followed when doing United States passport name change. Let us talk about that in this article.

Passports could be one of the more important papers issued to you by your government. It is both proof of identity and nationality. It allows you to go abroad and be a guest in foreign lands. Passports show your picture and your full identity. The facts regarding your complete name must be updated when you get married or divorce this document remains correct, especially for an expedited stolen expedited passport.

However there are three scenarios that determine the steps US citizens have to do in order to proceed in updating their identity. The first two scenarios assume that one is able to show proof that he was able to change his name legally. The third scenario is used when legal proof cannot be shown.

If you possess legal proof and your travel document is less than a year old, you begin by filling out Form DS-5504. Put this document inside a mailing envelope together with your old passport, legally binding documents such as a marriage certificate or a court order, and add your recent photograph. Unless the applicant wants an expedited application, this transaction is a free service.

If you have legal proof but your passport is already more than one year old, what is needed is an application for renewing the document. In a mailing envelope, insert a filled up Form DS-82, the old passport, payment for the processing, and documents that show you were able to legally change your name. You also have to include your recent photograph.

The envelopes must be addressed to the National Passport Processing Center. There is an expedited process available for updating names at an added cost. Those wanting to avail of this process must mark the outside of their envelopes with the label "Expedite".

Those who do not possess legal papers must apply for new passports. They must gather the requirements of a new application, which requires certified copies of birth certificates. They must also gather proof that shows that they have been using a different identity for at least five years. This can be billing statements, school records and tax returns. Then they need to make a personal appearance in any acceptance center to be interviewed. If the papers are accepted, they have to pay for the application fee.

Five to seven days after application, you can get an update of the status of your application by using a tracking service. This is a web page that asks about your surname, birthdate, and the last four places of your Social Security Number before being able to proceed.

You will get your updated expedited stolen passport in four to six weeks with a regular application. Those who opted for expedited applications will get the documents in at least three weeks. Getting a online passport name change is a simple transaction that updates your documents so that it reflects who you really are.