I changed my legal name late last year. This explains how I did it and how much it cost.
It was great that VicRoads, the banks, and RACV let me change my details and issued new cards free of charge.
This was more than countered by needing a new passport, and by uni charging a ridiculous fee of $60 for a "replacement card", which I needed to attend exams.
Of course, I also had to update my details with my magazines, charities, political organizations, and various web sites.
PayPal in particular was annoying. Despite faxing my change of name form three times, and calling them and emailing them several times over the course of six months, they did not update my account. An email to their complaints department also went unanswered. I ended up signing up for a new account. My previous donations are shown under my old name.
Also note that most companies require a certified copy of a change of name certificate, even those who never required proof of identity when first signing up! (Logically, those were things like phone accounts where a change of name without proof of identity could be used to transfer debt to another person.)
Most automatic credit card payments continued to work under my old name. I've updated them just in case.
So if memory serves correctly, it cost $356 and lots of time.
All in all, it's only worth it if you really care enuff to change your name!
(It's probably not fair to include the full $200 for the passport, since my new passport is valid for the next ten years, but my old one was only valid for about three, so the effective cost was about $60, bringing the total down to about $210.)
| What | Who | How | How much |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Government | Births, Deaths and Marriages | by mail | $84.60 |
| Driver Licence | VicRoads | in person | free |
| Bank | (confidential) | in person | free |
| University | Monash University | in person | $60.00 |
| Voting | Australian Electoral Commission | by mail | free |
| Mobile Phone | 3 Mobile | in person | free |
| Internet | iiNet | internet | free |
| Phone | Telstra | by mail | free |
| Roadside Assistance | RACV | in person | free |
| Car Insurance | AAMI | in person | free |
| House Insurance | RACV | in person | free |
| Health Insurance | Australian Unity | by fax | free |
| Passport | Passports Australia | in person | $200.00 (passport) + $12.00 (photos) |
| Superannuation | Colonial First State | by mail | free |
| Total | $356.60 | ||
It was great that VicRoads, the banks, and RACV let me change my details and issued new cards free of charge.
This was more than countered by needing a new passport, and by uni charging a ridiculous fee of $60 for a "replacement card", which I needed to attend exams.
Of course, I also had to update my details with my magazines, charities, political organizations, and various web sites.
PayPal in particular was annoying. Despite faxing my change of name form three times, and calling them and emailing them several times over the course of six months, they did not update my account. An email to their complaints department also went unanswered. I ended up signing up for a new account. My previous donations are shown under my old name.
Also note that most companies require a certified copy of a change of name certificate, even those who never required proof of identity when first signing up! (Logically, those were things like phone accounts where a change of name without proof of identity could be used to transfer debt to another person.)
Most automatic credit card payments continued to work under my old name. I've updated them just in case.
So if memory serves correctly, it cost $356 and lots of time.
All in all, it's only worth it if you really care enuff to change your name!
(It's probably not fair to include the full $200 for the passport, since my new passport is valid for the next ten years, but my old one was only valid for about three, so the effective cost was about $60, bringing the total down to about $210.)
Labels: 2007, Government, Name, University
hey mikel,
how long did it take for the department of Births, Deaths and Marriages to get back to you and give u a copy of the new birth certificate in the mail?
Zeke
Sorry, Zeke, I don't remember, but things like that usually take 2-4 weeks.
I think they also offer an in-person service in the city that might be quicker?
Why not call them and ask?
cheers mate.
zeke
Hi Mike, thanks for all the info. Would you know if it would be alright to change your name just for your personal satisfaction, but then not do nothing about informing the banks, telephone company, etc and just allow them to act on your old name? or is it compulsory that you notify everybody and go only by your new name thenceforth?
I remember reading that that used to be OK, provided you weren't doing it to deceive anybody, but I'm not sure now. I think you're expected to register with births, deaths, and marriages.
It would probably make your life a bit more difficult having official ID saying being different from the name everybody knows you as. VicRoads are now supposed to require your driver licence name exactly matches your birth certificate. It will also be an issue if you have anybody book travel on your behalf and use your common name rather than your official name.
Hi Mike
I am wondering whether I can change my name for certain businesses, for example for my driving license and registration with a department, and leave it unchanged for other ones, for example for travelling and visa issues?
cheers
G'day Mikel,
This might sound like a strange question, but; were there any rules as to what you could change your name to?
Thank You
hi mikel
i was just wondering, what if i dont have a australian passport yet but i am an australian citizen so do u think i could just change my name for everything but the passport and change my name for the passport(for free?) when i get my australian passport?
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