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The order to update your documents after a name change

Name change document order: start with the court affidavit, then your NIN, your passport, then your bank and everything else.

2 min readBy the Docufy editorial team

Quick answer

The name change document order that causes fewest problems is the court affidavit first, then your NIN, then your passport, then your bank and other accounts. Each later step usually expects the one before it to already show your new name.

Step 1
court affidavit and newspaper notice
Step 2
your NIN
Step 3
your passport
Step 4
your bank and everything else
On this page

A name change touches more records than people expect. Doing them in the wrong order just means repeating a step later.

Start with the court affidavit

Everything else in this chain points back to one document: your sworn affidavit of the name change.

Get it sworn before a commissioner for oaths, a notary public, or a judge of the Federal High Court or a higher court, and pair it with a newspaper notice where your reason for the change calls for one. See the newspaper notice after a change of name affidavit.

Then your NIN

With the affidavit ready, update your NIN next. It sits behind more services than most people realise.

See changing your surname on your NIN after marriage for the steps and the current fee.

Then your passport

Your passport update can also draw on the same affidavit. Immigration's own list adds a newspaper notice and, depending on your reason, a marriage certificate or divorce decree.

See changing your name on your passport after marriage for what that involves, including for a change after divorce.

Then your bank and everything else

Once your NIN and passport carry the new name, take the same documents to your bank and any other account that shows your old one.

Banks vary in exactly what they ask for, so call ahead rather than assuming one visit will be enough. The same goes for your employer's records, your voter's card and any professional registration you hold.

Keep every version of your name

Through all four steps, keep a folder, physical or digital, with your affidavit, your newspaper notice, your marriage certificate or decree, and copies of each updated document.

You will be asked to show more than one of these together, more than once. Losing track of which agency has seen what is the most common way this drags on longer than it needs to.

If you are short on time before a deadline

When a deadline is close, resist the urge to skip straight to whichever document you need most urgently.

Agencies move faster when the paperwork in front of them already lines up. Starting from the affidavit, even under time pressure, is usually quicker than restarting a rejected application later.

Common mistakes

  • Starting with the agency that feels most urgent, rather than the one everything else depends on.
  • Assuming one update automatically updates another. None of them do.
  • Throwing away the original affidavit once one agency has seen it.
  • Waiting for every document to be perfect before starting the first step.
  • Forgetting a smaller account, such as a pension or an old employer's records, until it causes a problem years later.

For the affidavit step itself, and other name change questions, see our affidavit guides.

Questions people ask

Why does the order matter at all?

Agencies often ask to see your earlier documents when you apply. A NIN update wants your affidavit. A passport correction wants both. Doing things out of order can mean going back a step.

Can I update my NIN and passport at the same time?

Once your affidavit and newspaper notice are ready, you can start both. Just expect each to ask for the same supporting documents, so keep copies of everything.

Do I need a fresh affidavit for each agency?

Usually one affidavit supports every agency, since it is the same sworn fact each time. Check each agency's own document list to be sure, since requirements can differ.

What happens if I go straight to my passport and skip my NIN?

Nothing stops you. Each application tends to go faster when the document before it already carries your new name, but the order above is a guide, not a rule enforced by law.

Sources

Last checked 27 Sep 2026. Fees and rules change; the agency that issues the document has the final word. See our editorial policy.

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