How do you figure out what steps you need to go through to change your legal status (e.g. marriage, name change, licensure)?
If you change which town or state you live in, you will need to change your driver's license and your car registration and insurance. You may have to get a residency sticker for your car, and you will need to register to vote at your new address. You can do that at the DMV. You can also google the answers to this question. Make sure the sites you look at are .gov sites, which are official government organizations. Be prepared to have to show utility bills for your new address.
This is most likely to happen when you get married or divorced. When you are getting married, consider any travel plans you have. For example, if you buy tickets for your honeymoon before you change your name, you might want to wait to change your name legally until you have completed travel. You want to make sure you don't get held up at the airport because your name does not match your ticket. Most of the forms to do this are online, or you can go to your local courthouse if you want to talk to someone in person.
Professional License
For jobs where you need a license to practice, be aware that rules vary from state to state. You should contact your professional organization or the place where you got your training to find out what support they can offer to make sure you get the proper credentials to practice your business.
This page was developed from interviews with:
Bonnie Burgess, Arlene London, Melissa Adams, Dennis Powell, Arthur Miller, Bonnie Bennett, Percy Ida