Last updated on January 12th, 2023 at 04:46 pm
It is an unpleasant experience to go through a divorce. After all, you have to take care of many documents, including the passport. Did your marital status or name change due to a separation from the partner? You need to renew the document via mail or update the current U.S. passport.
The passport application asks for your divorce date of the previous marriage. It is necessary even if the applicant got married once again. That is the reason we would suggest you retain a copy of your divorce certificate.
Key Takeaways
- The US law does not allow you to hold a passport, which does not have your legal name.
- The citizens of the US do not have a mention the marital status of the passport holder in the passport contrary to some other nations.
- If you looking for a name change in your new passport, you have to submit the marriage certificate’s certified copy
- A passport courier company is also referred to as a passport expeditor
- It is imperative to mail the death certificate copy and the actual passport to the American embassy.
However, there are several service providers that provide the facility of looking for your divorce date. So, even if you have forgotten the date of your divorce, it is not a problem.
You should remember that if your passport application form is incomplete, it would lead to unnecessary delays while processing the application. Additionally, your travel will get delayed due to the absence of divorce records.
How to find my divorce date online for free
Procuring a divorce is tougher than getting a marriage certificate. Both parties need to file a petition to a court for getting their divorce.
After both, parties agree and a court order has been issued, their divorce is finalized. finally, the court provides a proper divorce certificate to both parties.
The divorce certificate is the evidence that divorce is official. Have you misplaced your divorce certificate? Do not worry as the records will be available and you should simply know how to get them.
You can visit the court clerk through a prior appointment. A second option is using a resource, such as Vital Records. Many government agencies use such resources to look up online divorce records.
Usually, you will get what you are looking for within a few minutes via an online vendor. For instance, you can get divorce records by visiting a 3rd-party website like SearchQuarry.com.
You can get all details related to the divorce, including the official divorce date. Other details, such as both parties dates of birth, full names, and the place where the divorce took place are also available as these are considered to be public records.
Is there divorce date lookup online?
There is a possibility that you have forgotten about your divorce date. You could be also wondering about the all-important question, i.e. how to track the date of your divorce.
However, even before you can track divorce records, make sure to gather some key details. For example, you might need to provide your former spouse’s full name, the wedding date, and the place where the divorce was filed.
As soon as you have all these details with you, search the website of the county’s court for your divorce or marriage record. You can look up your divorce date within a few minutes using such online services – it is as simple as that.
Is ‘Has applicant ever been married’ passport question important?
Were you previously married? If the answer is affirmative, it is essential to furnish details about your husband or wife on the passport application.
To put it simply, if a person is not married at present but was in the past, they should provide details about their most recent spouse. Kindly note that you should also provide your social security number in the application, which is a vital record.
If you wish to have change in the marital status on the passport, it is imperative to apply for a fresh valid passport. So, in case a person’s name changed because of a marriage, they should apply for the procedure for their passport name change. For this, they need to submit relevant documents to prove the legitimacy of their new name like a marriage certificate.
Even though a divorced woman might still continue with her previous name after remarrying, she should show a certified copy of the divorce while renewing her passport in the US.
The existing rules clearly mention that the applicant can self-attest their divorce documents as an alternative to the court deed. However, the passport office may look at it differently.
Do I get a divorce certificate to prove it?
If a woman is using her maiden name after her divorce in the past, there could be a pertinent query do they need to show their divorce papers to get the passport. The answer is they do not have to carry their divorce decree or marriage certificate for the passport application.
However if a person is divorced and has not remarried, they have to furnish the details of their ex-spouse while applying for the passport. You can pay the application fee through a money order or a check. They do not accept credit card or debit card.
What if I put wrong marriage date on passport application?
You may correct the mistake by filling out a form called DS-5504. Next, send this form with a passport photo and proof for supporting the certificate.
Typically, you can produce a court order, marriage certificate, or original birth certificate as evidence. If there are printing errors, you do not have to pay for them. You should ideally get the corrected passport within a period of 6 weeks.
If you pay the expedite fee of 60 USD, you can get your corrected passport within just 3 weeks. The officials will not accept any notarized copies and photocopies, which means you should carry the originals.
In case the applicant has changed their name due to divorce or marriage, they should carry a certified marriage certificate copy. Alternatively, they may also produce a court decree, which has the record of name change.
What to put on passport application: Marital Status – separated
An applicant does not have to furnish the name of his/her passport application form if they are divorced or separated individuals. They have to however give details, such as their
- Age
- Name
- Address
- Marital status
- Contact information/phone number of immediate family members or friends who can be contacted in case there is an emergency
It is important to note though that American passports unlike many other countries do not mention the marital status of an individual on their passport. So, if you do not want some people to know whether you are married or not by looking at your passport, you have every reason to be happy.
An in-person appointment is necessary before applying for a new passport. You can contact the passport agency for any further information.
Incidentally, children under 16 years of age have to make an in-person application of their passports with two legal guardian or parents.
Do I need my marriage certificate to get a passport?
The marriage certificate is considered to be a legal document, which certifies that a couple actually got married. To put it simply, if you looking for a name change in your new passport, you have to submit the marriage certificate’s certified copy and not the marriage license application or record.
What does a passport courier do?
A passport courier company is also referred to as a passport expeditor. It is a private organization and is typically permitted to represent their customers with u.s. citizenship for submitting passport applications. It is recommended to give your email address so that they can contact you if required.
It should be noted that the Department of State in the United States is not accountable for any issue caused by such courier companies. The department is also not responsible for the negligence of a passport courier that led to loss of documents while in its custody.
Additionally, the state department will not resolve or intervene if any applicant has any dispute with a courier company.
FAQ relating to needing a divorce date for passport reasons
Does marital status matter on passport?
As mentioned earlier, American passports do not mention about the marital status of the passport holder in the passport contrary to some other nations. As such, the marital status does not matter for the passport agency.
Can you travel on a passport with your married name after divorce?
United States citizens may change their names because of circumstances, such as a divorce or marriage. So if they are traveling outside their state, they should carry relevant documents as evidence for their name progression. Such documents can be:
- Copy of the divorce decree
- Marriage Certificate
- Court documents highlighting a legal name change
How long do you have to change your name on your passport after getting divorced?
Was your current passport issued less than 12 months ago? If you got divorced/married after that, you can apply for a new passport with your latest name. You have to use Form DS-5504 then. However, routine processing will be the same.
What happens if the agency issued your current passport over 1 year ago? You might have got divorced/married after that. It is possible to then apply for a new passport for including the new name via form DS-82. You do not have to pay any additional fee.
What happens to passport after divorce?
You should mandatorily use a valid passport. It means the law does not permit you to carry a passport that does not have your legal name.
You may continue using your passport if there is no change in personal data because of a divorce. Expert legal advice is always recommended if there is any doubt about your divorce-related concerns, including child support.
