She wants to change her name, has anyone done this?

[BrightSparkles]

I've done it but in NSW. I was 19 when I did it because my bio. father wouldn't sign the forms. It was just a matter of filling out a form with the births, deaths and marriages office and doing an interview. I also had to provide heaps of evidence to say i'd been using my mums remarried name for some time e.g school records, letters of support etc.
Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

[*Efjay*]

I did this when I was about your DD's age also. I think to start with Mum just wrote a letter to my high school saying I wanted to be known by mums maiden name from now on. So basically from the age 12/13 till I was 16, I was known as "mums maiden name" Then when it came time for my licence I had it done properly. I had already been suing it for a long time, I had my TFN as that name also. So really all I had to do was fill in a form & take it to the registry & pay the fee. I didn't have a birth certificate only a birth extract so when I did all this I got an official birth certificate also & it has my birth name as my mums maiden name. Doesn't have my dads surname on it all . this was also in NSW.

I would start with changing her name at school & just leave it at that until she starts to need official documents when she gets a little older. Mum wrote something like the want of the name change was to do with the breakdown of the marriage between my Mum & Dad. Even though that happened when I was 6 months old.

eta - at no point was my dad contacted/informed or needed for me to change it.

[smiles4u]

I've done it but in NSW. I was 19 when I did it because my bio. father wouldn't sign the forms. It was just a matter of filling out a form with the births, deaths and marriages office and doing an interview. I also had to provide heaps of evidence to say i'd been using my mums remarried name for some time e.g school records, letters of support etc.
Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

WOW i must have had it easy as i also changed my surname at 19 but didn't need my parents consent (?), it was legal for me to do it on my own from 18, ... i just walked into one office on one side of the city and then another office on the other and 3hrs and $53 later my surname was changed ... but that was back in 1985, lol

[Astrolady]

My Nephew did it, but I think he was a bit older maybe 16. He had to go to court to do it as well and he had to state why he wanted his name changed. I don't know the finer details like costs etc. But he did get his request approved. He was in same position dad walked out when he was 2 and wanted nothing to do with him. He is an only child so didn't have the sibling scenario to present either.

[*Efjay*]

ON the sibling thing. I was the youngest of 3 & only I changed my name. It really wasn't any issue at all. its interesting reading how different it has been for others.

[HotI]

My sister was able to hyphenate her name legally without her birth mum's permission, so had two surnames and then just used one of her surnames at school and most other places. When she reached 18, she could legally drop one of them and now just has one surname.