Change my last name

A few months ago I went to the New York DMV to change my name on my license. There’s been no progress on this goal since then, and to top it off, we moved to New Jersey, so I had to change my license to NJ anyway. I could’ve skipped the whole New York DMV thing and just done it once. Pretty annoying.

I’ve changed my mind about the value of changing your name. It’s a bureaucratic maze to get through. If you are going to do it, do it quickly in one fell swoop before you make major changes like moving or buying property. Otherwise there’s even more paperwork and you’ll need to get lawyers involved.

Since I’m half-way through the process, I will finish it before June this year!

After marriage, the first step to changing your last name is getting sealed copies of your marriage certificate to give out to various agencies as needed. That’s been done for a while now, so my next step was going to the DMV to renew and change my name on my driver’s license.

If you have to go to the DMV, I recommend you a) go early in the morning, b) go to your state’s DMV website to figure out everything you need to bring and print out the form. Have it all completely filled out and your id all ready in one place ahead of time, and c) go with a friend.

Go early because the chances of getting in and out are so much better. Also, entering the alternate universe where rules of time, space, and individual dignity do not apply is really much more enjoyable if you have someone with you. Really, though, the DMV is very efficient.

My friend and I had a good laugh at one of the workers. He mumbled like Milton in Office Space, and yelled at everyone in queue. He got annoyed if you asked him a question, and told me that my middle and last name were weird, which made me laugh too. Since we went early and had everything ready, we had a fine time of it. We were in and out in a half an hour.

I got married last year, and I’m changing my last name now. http://www.bridelaw.com was very helpful in terms of where to start and what to do next. I printed out forms for the DMV, social security, taxes, and my passport. Next Wednesday I am going to the DMV early in the morning to submit my license change information.