Rich Mandleur: Hi, My name is Rich Mandleur and today we're discussing how to obtain a passport. Right now, we're going to talk about how to change the name in your current passport. When changing the name in your passport, you need to consider when the passport was issued. If your passport is more than a year old you must renew your passport and you will be asked to present the original court document indicating the evidence of name change.

If your passport was issued less than a year ago, you have two processing options. You may choose to apply through the mail in which case your passport will be amended, your name will be changed, and the passport will be issued in 6-8 weeks depending on the demand. If you are traveling soon, you may also choose to have your passport expedited, in which case your passport will be issued in a time frame that meets your travel demands.

In order to do so, you will need to submit in addition to the passport application, the following documentation. You will need your current valid passport, a letter of authorization, evidence of immediate travel, a check made payable to passport services, the amount of $60. You will also need to represent the original legal court document indicating the change of name.