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What civil registry documents are needed when changing your surname because of marriage or divorce?

When changing your surname, collect civil registry documents that establish an unbroken chain from birth to your current name: birth certificate, marriage certificate and divorce certificate…

Immigration and documents

Answer

When changing your surname, collect civil registry documents that establish an unbroken chain from birth to your current name: birth certificate, marriage and divorce certificates, and certificates of changes to your surname, given name or patronymic, where applicable.

If your surname changed because of marriage, you will need the marriage certificate. If you have been divorced or married more than once, certificates of previous marriages and divorces may also be needed. A passport alone does not always explain why names differ across documents.

The purpose of this set is to make the history of your name clear. Documents must connect every change; otherwise, the receiving authority will see different surnames without proof of how one became another. First map out your personal chain, then obtain the records needed to fill its gaps.

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