Delayed name change--what to do?

July 12, 2022 9:12 AM

Okay, so I live in Oregon. Four years ago (maybe three) I went through the first step of doing a legal name change and have the paperwork from the court certifying that. However, I haven't done any of the follow up steps (that is, showing that paperwork to my credit union, getting a new driver's license and social security card, etc). Can I still use that years old court paperwork and do the follow up steps now? Or do I need to start the process over? TIA!
posted by overglow to Law & Government (3 answers total)

Best answer: I did the same thing many years ago, and I'm still regularly using the original court documents to get things updated that I forgot about in the first go-round. There's no expiration date. Just start with the social security card, then the DL; some other places will want those in addition to the court docs. (I was in Mississippi at the time; but I think this will hold for other states as well).
posted by invincible summer at 9:28 AM on July 12, 2022 [4 favorites]

Best answer: It took my (ex) wife years to change all her documents when she changed her name for marriage. She just took it one step at a time. Every time she needed to make the change for whatever reason, she did. Other than the hassle of doing it, there were no limitations on it.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:47 AM on July 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Best answer: There's no expiration, I still have my court letter in case I come across more places with my old name. (It's amazing how many places have your name out there, it takes ages to track them all down.) For the first year or two of seriously chasing my name, I just carried the letter with me everywhere, so I could do quick changes at the library, schools, bank, anywhere I belonged and was popping into. Some places want to see ID as well as the letter, but ID in your old name with your letter should be fine.

And yes, once you change the social security card (in person, even now) you can get the driver's license and passport changed. (I'm not sure the order for license and passport matters, but best to pick only one to be out of order at once, then do the other.)
posted by blueberry monster at 7:40 PM on July 12, 2022 [1 favorite]