How to Do a Change of Name After Marriage in Nigeria

How to do a change of name after marriage in Nigeria. You say? Jump in here.

Changing of name after marriage is not dead-end hopelessness or mere obedience to a future spouse, in contrary, it is respect for traditions and the designation of your beloved as the head of the cohesive, united family.

Well, Congratulations! You have done your white wedding, traditional wedding and gotten registered at the marriage registry and now you have officially gone from Miss. to Mrs. but that is not actually the end.

Marriage is a step towards a new life. At this stage, many women change their surnames. This involves some bureaucratic delays, which, however, is quite possible to overcome. By the time you have gone through this article, you will learn how the change of name in Nigeria is done after marriage.

As a wife, changing your surname to your husband’s can be symbolic. The function of marriage is to unite two people and sharing a name can represent this unity. It signifies a new beginning and gives the new bride a sense of belonging. sharing a name with your husband makes him proud and is a constant reminder of his responsibilities to you as the wife.

Changing of name helps create an environment of family and unity. After all, in the future, your children will certainly bear the surname of their father, and in order not to create confusion it is necessary to have a common family name.

“Surprisingly, Do you know that some men even take the surname of their future wife. However, according to statistics in Nigeria, now there are only 1.5-2% of such men.”

There are not a lot of men that would agree that their wives continue to use her maiden name. So, to maintain peace and put smiles on the face of their beloved, most women prefer to stick to the ancient tradition of changing surnames. In some cases, women believe that the change of name is beneficial for them because the surname of a future spouse is more convenient or comes with respect and even wealth.

And again, Questions from your future children about why dad and mom have different surnames can be stressful and confusing. Therefore, it’s better to exclude the issue from the very beginning.

So if you are not among the rapidly growing number of women who are opting to keep their maiden names after tying the knot. You are at the right place.

Have you wondered what it takes to legally change your name after marriage in Nigeria? There are certain conditions to be fulfilled before a change of name is processed in Nigeria.

As a married woman, you are required to legally change your name on your personal documents and there is a process to it. It is quite easy and inexpensive and we are here to help you out. If you’re not looking to take your husband’s name after marriage, that’s an awesome choice. We are not here to cajole you whether to bare your husband’s surname after marriage or not.

“Every woman makes this decision on her own. If you decide to change the name, deedeesblog will tell you how to do it”

However if you want to, read on. We have just the process outlined for you so, you don’t need to be bothered about it any longer! Just before we dive into the process on how to change your name after marriage in Nigeria, we shall take a look at the conditions for a change of name.

Conditions for change of name in Nigeria

On general grounds, an individual has a right to legally change his/her name for different reasons. Some of the major reasons people decide to change their names are for a marital purpose (which we are discussing in this article), correction of bank details, divorce or when the process of adoption of a child is completed. The general condition for change of name in Nigeria are as follows :

1. The legal age for processing change of name is 18 years ( in order for a change of name is processed, the individual must be an adult). In the case of a child, the parent or guardian must do it for him or her.

2. A change of name will be illegal where the intention is to mislead or commit a crime.

3. An individual cannot change name where the purpose is to escape debt or financial liability.

4. The applicant must, of course, be a Nigerian citizen

5. Finally, there are certain classes of names that you would not be allowed to use, for example, names that would intimidate, offend or be considered obscene or tribalist/racist.

Follow these steps to do a legal change of name after marriage in Nigeria.

The process of changing name has its own uniqueness in every single country. Believe it or not, merely proclaiming your new surname all around with a big smile isn’t going to change anything!

West Africa fully relies on state laws. The wedding certificate will immediately indicate a new name, which significantly reduces stress. Find out simple steps you should take for the change of name in Nigeria after marriage here.

Under what conditions should or must you change names? – General Factors to look out for

People legally change their first, middle, or last names for a variety of reasons: Major life changes—getting married, divorced, or undergoing gender reassignment—might catalyze a name change, or people might just hate the name they were born with.

1. You can decide to name yourself anything, but there are few exceptions.

If you don’t like your birth name, you can legally change it to whatever you want. But as mentions earlier, there are a few exceptions.

You can’t name yourself after a celebrity (because that could be viewed as intentionally misleading)

2. The simplest times to change your last name in Nigeria are during marriage and Divorce.

In most states, men and women can legally change their last name to their new spouse’s surname, hyphenate their two surnames, or create a new amalgamation of their surnames

3. You do not need to hire a lawyer… yes,  you don’t need to.

Although it may seem daunting to show up at court or fill out legal paperwork, you don’t need to hire a lawyer to change your name.

Filling out a Petition for Name Change can be fairly straightforward. But if you do feel overwhelmed by navigating the name change process yourself, consider outside help.

Like I mentioned earlier, to legally change your name after marriage, there is a process to it which is quite easy and inexpensive. Hence, we will only be deliberating on the relevant steps you need to take to have your name changed. No unnecessary attachments.

Now, the process to legally change your name in Nigeria is a straightforward 2-step process.

The first step is to swear an affidavit in court stating your intention to change your name. And the second is to publish notice of change of name in a national Newspaper. But there are much more in-depth.

Change of name after marriage in Nigeria #step 1

The first step is to swear an affidavit in court stating your intention to change your name. Before you send a request, find out the exact list of necessary documents. So you’ll not get into an awkward situation and process won’t be stretched for a long time.

Now, what is An affidavit? It is a sworn statement or document, authorized by a magistrate or an officer of the law. This process really is simple and straightforward, so being a legal Mrs. is just one extra step away!

Affidavit is a technical term for a sworn statement in writing made especially under oath or on affirmation before an authorized magistrate or officer of the court.

The affidavit should include information such as your father’s name, your place of residence, your present name, and your new name.

So, All you need to do now is find your way to the high court at Ikeja (or any other high court), swear an affidavit saying you have changed from your old name and wish to be known by your new name, and you show your affidavit anywhere you want to present any documentation in your old name.

Change of name after marriage in Nigeria #step 2

The next (and perhaps, concluding) step is newspaper publication.

If you have been reading Newspapers. Or used to. Can you remember when you’d see names written in boxes, asking the government and general public to take note of their new identities? This step is where you make that happen!

This is the stage where you will have your name published in one of those boxes, telling the readers across the country that you have changed your name.

This is that stage of changing your name where you contact the offices of any leading newspaper in your locality and advertise the change of your name indicating clearly your present name, your husband’s name, your address, and your new name.

The new name that you are now legally recognized with is to be printed in Nigeria Official Gazette.

This process entails sending an application to the documentation department of publication, Civil Registry, requesting the advertisement of the change of name.

The application must contain the following documents or information :

• 1. Deed of change of name
• 2. A newspaper cutting advertising the change of name.
• 3. Photocopy of the marriage certificate for the applicant whose purpose for change is as a result of marriage.
• 4.  A signed Affidavit of change of name
• 5. The name of the applicant as listed on the birth certificate or any citizenship documents.
• 6. Passport photograph of the applicant
• 7. The full name the applicant is applying to change.

I can not clearly state the exact fee for an application fee, but the application fee for the publication is from N5000 (Five Thousand Naira) and above.

I always tell people who I counsel that It’s wise to use the services of a lawyer so that you don’t have to worry about any complications. This will speed up the process, avoid errors related to lack of information. Then the name change will pass quickly and easily.

Change of name after marriage in Nigeria #step 3

In this phase, there may be need to do Change of government documents.

It is important that after the completion of the change of name process, you should approach any relevant organs or agencies of government to update your new data.

After legally answering your husband’s surname, you want to change your name on personal documents like your international passport or drivers license.

Just ensure that you go there with your legal court documents to prove your identity. You can also go with your marriage certificate, if applicable.

Who should be aware of your new name?

Once the change of name has been effected, it is important that all personal vital documents of the individual reflect the change done in the name.

Change your info in mortgage companies, insurance, car registration docs and so on. Ensure you Notify the postal service, local utilities, authorities and registration of voters.

If you are still a student then consider informing your school. some people avoid informing their school because of the fear that it complicates matters. Like a case of a lady that was admitted with one name, and then graduated with another name.

Please note that it is not compulsory to inform your school, if you decide not to because it is less complicated, then never mind.

In addition to these, Contact the directors of previous workplaces, the school where you studied, university and other organizations in whose reports your data is listed. They should know about changing the name to your new one in their documents.

In large enterprises, it is not always possible to keep track of every employee, so it is necessary to notify the personnel department or other structure that are in charge of employee details.
Of course, your current employer also should be informed if you work in a corporate company.

Wrapping up!

Having done all this, allow yourself to rest, proudly announcing the change of name to family and friends. Celebrate this important event that means a lot for every woman like you!

I hope you have found this information helpful on your quest to do a change of name after marriage in Nigeria.

If you have further questions on this, I will be available at the comment box.