questions & answers

Question: My mother remarried when I was 2 years old. My brother and I both were enrolled in school using my stepdad's last name even though our last name was still legally our birth certificate name. I got married using stepdad's last name. My mother, real father and brother are all deceased and even though I have a certified copy of my birth certificate I am having a hard time proving that it is me, since I never used that last name. I am 65 years old and have had my driver's license since I was 16, moved to Arizona last year but cannot get my license/passport. What can I do? Terry Jaynes

Answer: It is pretty simple to change your name if that is what you are looking to do. Here is a link to the self-help forms online http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/SuperiorCourt/Self-ServiceCenter/index.asp  You fill them out, file them, go to court and take your paperwork (organize it all) and the judge will determine to change it or not. If so, once you get the order, you can get a passport and license. On the other hand, if you are looking to change back to the name on your birth certificate, without a formal name change, you may have some problems with it and it might actually be easier to follow the same name change process even though it is really a different scenario.