I don't know if this is the right forum to post this, but here it goes...

I (the USC) am getting married to my fiance in two weeks and will be changing my last name to his. I want to know if anyone knows how I change my name on my passport? It is going to expire in 2/09 anyway, but I want all of my documents to have my soon-to-be new name.

Has anyone gone through this? I don't know if I'd have to change it ASAP because I have a Brazilian visa in my current passport which I'll need to take with me at the end of the year and I don't know if it's transferred to my new passport....

I hope I didn't confuse anyone

Google is awesome:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/fri/Chang...geName_851.html

If you change your name on your US passport, do it within the first year of marriage. You will not have to pay. If you do it in the not so distant future, it will take quite a while (unless you go with expedited service). Because of the new regulations dealing with flights/cruises from the Carribean, etc., it has taken more than ten weeks for my coworkers and students to get passports recently.

Thanks

your visa for brazil will NOT appear in your new passport. i just renewed my passport and my brazilian visa is in my old passport (which they mailed back to me).

Renewing a passport, because of name change due to marriage will still incur the passport renewal fee of $67...at least in the case of the OP, she states that her passport (which is usually issued for 10 years, right?) is due to expire in 2009.

As per US Dept of State:

IF Your name has been legally changed due to marriage or a court order within one year from the date of issuance of passport, THEN there is no fee

BUT If your name has changed by other means and/or it has been more than one year from the date of issuance of the passport, you must submit a DS-82 renewal application and pay all applicable fees.

It is not "within one year of marriage," when one doesn't incur the renewal fee.....rather if your passport is newly issued (less than a year old) and you happen to get married, then you can change your passport to reflect your new married name for FREE, otherwise the regular renewal fee applies.

The DOS link for the info has been posted above....info on which forms to use and applicable fees is available on that site.

-P