Changing the legal name of customers or their children 102-08010000

To reduce the risk of fraud and the creation of multiple and intertwined records, ensure the record to be updated is the correct one.

Before making updates:

• authenticate the customer, or
• ask an authorised nominee to authenticate themselves and the customer

Discuss with the customer the reason for their request. This can indicate other changes in the customer's circumstances (for example, a new partner or recently separated). If the reason is a separation, refer to Family and domestic violence, and follow the Family and Domestic Violence Support Model process.

Note: if a person is concerned about the security of their personal information, particularly a third party accessing this information, discuss security measures such as Eligibility for Restricted Access or Customer password.

For more details and safety advice if the customer is separating, refer to:

• Separating Safely – protecting personal details
• Family and domestic violence

Straight forward corrections to names can be actioned at the first point of contact. These updates include spelling corrections or names recorded in incorrect order.

Is the customer requesting a straightforward correction to a name?

• Yes, see Customer's name incorrectly recorded. Procedure ends here
• No, and the name change is for a:
• Preferred name, Also Known As, Maiden Name (not previously coded as a legal name), Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Traditional Name or Name at Birth, see Aliases and other names (legal, preferred, sex and gender diverse customers, cultural considerations etc.)
• customer requesting their name be changed back to a previously recorded legal name, go to Step 4
• Legal name
  For child or customer under the age of 18, go to Table 2
  For a customer aged 18 or over, go to Step 5

If the customer requests to change their married legal name back to their birth or maiden name, and this name was:

• coded as a historical legal name on the Customer Person Details Summary (CPDS) screen, no supporting evidence is required. Staff can update the customer’s record at first point of contact. Go to Step 7
• never coded as their legal name on the CPDS screen, then supporting evidence must be supplied. Go to Step 5.

Note: if the customer requests to change their name to a previous legal name other than their birth or maiden name, regardless of it being recorded by Centrelink, the customer will need to formally change their name again. Contact the Customer Details Helpdesk for advice if required.

A legal name cannot be changed without evidence. Original, unaltered supporting evidence must be provided, that shows a link from the old legal name to the new legal name (a passport alone does not show this).

They must provide one of the following supporting documents issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM):

• Australian Marriage Certificate - (Australian ceremonial certificates are not acceptable) to support a change to surname only
• Certificate of Name Change
• Birth certificate - to support a child's legal (LGL) name
• Reissued birth certificate in the new name

They must supply the following documents:

• Australian passport issued in their new name, accompanied by a foreign change of name document such as marriage certificate (change to surname only), or
• Certificate of Name Change issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM)

They must supply the following documents:

• Australian marriage certificate (change to surname only), or
• Australian Passport with evidence of the request to change the name, or
• Certificate of Name Change issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM)

They must supply the following documents:

• Australian marriage certificate (change of surname only), and
• Foreign passport with Australian visa, with evidence to show the change of name such as marriage certificate, or
• ImmiCard issued by Department of Home Affairs

A legal name cannot be changed without evidence. Original, unaltered supporting evidence must be provided, that shows a link from the old legal name to the new legal name (a passport alone does not show this).

The customer must attend a service centre with the correct original documents to request a legal name change. Note: except when changing married legal name back to birth or maiden name which was coded as a historical name on the CPDS screen

Has the customer provided the relevant correct original documents described in Step 5 in person at a service centre?

• Yes, go to Step 7
• No:
• over the phone, advise the customer to attend a service centre with the correct original documents
• in person, where a customer cannot provide correct original documents and alternative evidence can be provided, email the Customer Details Helpdesk for advice
• customer currently impacted by a current natural disaster emergency event. Go to Step 8
• DOC action taken
• procedure ends here

The customer must attend a service centre with the correct original documents to request a legal name change. Note: except when changing married legal name back to birth or maiden name which was coded as a historical name on the CPDS screen.

When supporting evidence is supplied or is not required, record the legal name change details following the Centrelink Naming Convention:

Customer First

• Go to the Customer Personal Details Summary (CPDS) screen
• Select Add new person details and update the following fields (as appropriate):
• Name Type (LGL)
• Event Date: this can be the date the change occurred, that is, marriage date or the date the change is advised
• Surname
• Given Name/s
• Gender
• Date of Birth
• Enter the appropriate Source and Date of Receipt and select Continue
• If the name change is the result of a relationship change, check the Marital Status (MS) screen and update it in the same activity, if required. Note: see Separating safely - protecting personal details for safety advice for the customer
• Check for other screens where the name occurs, such as Payment Details (PD) screen and confirm with the customer if the details need updating
• Select activity from Activity List (AL) screen and go to Activity Results (AR) screen. Record in the Notes: field details regarding name change
• DOC action taken. Procedure ends here

Note:

• Unless correcting an error, record previous names as Also Known As (AKA), Maiden Name (MDN), Tribal Name or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Traditional Name (TRI), Name At Birth (NAB) or Preferred Name (PRF), as appropriate. For more details, see Aliases and other names (legal, preferred, sex and gender diverse customers, cultural considerations etc.)
• Names containing hyphens or apostrophes must not contain spaces, for example when coding 'Anne-Maree' as 'Anne - Maree' means it will not be found when searching for a record

If the change of name prevents the customer from making an online claim for emergency payments, see Claiming emergency payments for when to use Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) to support their claim for payment.

Tell the customer once the current natural disaster emergency event is resolved they must attend their nearest service centre to complete a change of name as outlined above.

DOC action taken. Procedure ends here

A child or customer aged under 18 cannot request a legal name change.

Consent for a legal name change may not be required from both parents/legal guardians following separation/divorce:

• a court order can be used in lieu of the other parent's consent
• there is no requirement to get consent from the parent when the child does not have that parent's family name

Changing a legal name:

A Change of Name certificate, issued by Births, Deaths & Marriages (BDM) must be provided before changing the legal name of a child or customer aged under 18.

The customer must attend a service centre with the correct original documents to request a legal name change.

If a Change of Name certificate is received for a:

• child, go to Step 2
• customer aged under 18 with appropriate consent, see Table1 > Step 6

Other name changes occurring:

• as part of an adoption or surrogacy process, see Claiming payments for children entrusted to care as part of the process of adoption or surrogacy. Procedure ends here
• when a child's name is recorded as 'Newborn' and a new name is advised, go to Step 2

When the child's name was recorded as 'Newborn' and a new name is advised, the change should be actioned at the first point of contact. Supporting evidence is not required for this type of name change.

Potential impacts:

Tell the customer the change of name may be shared across the agency for the purposes of Child Support and Medicare. If the customer is not comfortable with this information being shared across the agency, do not update but ensure Family and Domestic Violence Support Model (FDVSM) and processes under the Separating Safely are followed.

Refer to the Centrelink Naming Convention. In the parent/guardian record:

• go to the Child Selection (CHS) screen and select the child, select Continue [Enter]
• from the Child Task Selector (CHTS) screen, select the Change Child (CCH): field and select Continue [Enter]
• Enter the name, the appropriate Source and Date of Receipt and type 'C' for Correct in the Action: field. Select Continue [Enter]
• Go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen, type a message on the Notes: field, explaining details regarding name correction. 'S'elect the Finished: field and code 'Y' for finished
• Select Continue [Enter]
• Record details on a DOC