Jumping through hoops to change your name? NJ bill looks to help newlyweds

As a newlywed in New Jersey, the process of changing your last name on important forms of identification may be just annoying enough to make you wonder whether an official name change is really worth the hassle.

But a proposed New Jersey law looks to streamline the process.

A bill advanced on Monday by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee would require the Department of Health to come up with a marriage license application that lets individuals enter changes to their middle names or last names.

The DOH would then disseminate that information to other offices and agencies, to ensure that the name change is reflected on various documents and forms of ID, according to the bill's sponsor, Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Morris.

"So they don't have to go to the local Society Security Administration office, they don't have to go to the Motor Vehicle Commission, or in some cases actually end up having to go to court to change their name after getting married," Bucco said. "Newly married couples shouldn't have to jump through hoops to do something as simple as updating their name."

An applicant would still be encouraged to contact their local social security office to make sure the name change is recorded, according to the bill.

"This is a common-sense solution that will save marriage certificate applicants time and money," Bucco said.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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