If you’re planning on flying overseas anytime in the near future, you may need a fast passport name change if the name on your passport doesn’t match the name that you usually use to book airline tickets. The TSA’s new Secure Flight program technically doesn’t go into effect until next year, but as Joe Sharkey points out in the New York Times, it’s pretty much in effect now.
Most airlines already require that your tickets match your IDs exactly, down to the middle initial. That means that if you usually fly as John Alexander Jones, your ID needs to say “John Alexander Jones,” not John A. Jones.
Seems simple enough, right? Wrong. As the New York Times documents, it can be a challenge to get everything to match. Airline data entry systems are not set up to handle long names or names with hyphens and apostrophes, for example.
If all you need to do is change the name on your passport, though, you’re in luck. If it’s been less than a year since you got your passport, just fill out form DS-5504 and send it in, along with legal proof of your name change. If it’s been longer than 90 days since your passport was issued, you’ll also need to send 2 new passport photos.
If it’s been more than a year since your passport was issued, you will need to renew your passport to get your name changed.
What if you need a fast passport name change? You can pay an additional $60 for expedited service, but it will still take at least 3 weeks for you to get your new passport in the mail. If you need a really fast passport name change, RushMyPassport is the easiest option. We submit your paperwork directly to the Department of State, and your application can be processed in as little as 24 hours.
Need to fix the name on your passport? Let us help you get a fast passport name change!