Change Name After Divorce Tasmania: BDM Fees, Documents & Driver Licence

Most people assume you need to pay $244.71 to get your pre-marriage name back after a Tasmanian divorce. That assumption costs hundreds of dollars and weeks of waiting — because in many cases, reverting to your maiden name is free.

Free Maiden Name Reversion vs Formal BDM Name Change

If you took your spouse's surname after marrying in Australia, you can revert to your birth surname without going through Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) Tasmania at all. You just present two documents to each agency you need to update:

• Your original BDM-issued marriage certificate (confirming your pre-marriage surname)
• Your FCFCOA divorce order (proving the marriage ended)

Banks, Service Tasmania, Medicare, the ATO — they all accept this combination. No application, no fee, no waiting period.

The formal BDM name change ($244.71, which includes a change of name certificate) is only necessary when:

• You want an entirely new surname, not your birth name
• You were married overseas and Australian BDM has no record of the marriage
• You formally registered a name change with BDM during the marriage

To be eligible for a formal change, you must have been born in Tasmania or lived there continuously for more than 12 months. BDM limits formal name changes to once per 12-month period and three times in a lifetime.

Updating Your Driver Licence at Service Tasmania

Once you have either your marriage certificate and divorce order (free reversion) or your new BDM change of name certificate, visit any Service Tasmania centre to update your driver licence. You must do this within 14 days of the name change taking effect.

The fees depend on what's changing:

• Name change only: $13.24
• Full licence replacement: $32.84

Bring Category A and Category B identity documents. Category A includes your birth certificate, passport, or citizenship certificate. Category B covers items like your Medicare card, bank statement, or utility bill showing your current address.

Other Identity Documents to Update

Your driver licence is the starting point, but the name on several other records needs to match:

Medicare and Services Australia — Update through myGov or in person. Free. Medicare, Centrelink, and Child Support are separate systems — updating one does not update the others.

Australian Passport Office — If your current passport has at least two years of validity remaining and the name change is due to divorce, the replacement passport is issued free of charge. Submit your divorce order and marriage certificate at a participating Australia Post outlet.

ATO — Update through myGov (linked to ATO services). Free. Your tax file name must match BDM records to prevent withholding discrepancies.

Financial institutions — Visit your bank branch or use their secure portal with your marriage certificate and divorce order (or change of name certificate). Free at most banks.

Priority Processing Options

If you need your BDM certificate urgently, two options exist beyond standard registered post:

• Priority posted service: $111.43
• Same-day onsite printing at Service Tasmania hubs in Hobart, Launceston, Burnie, Devonport, Huonville, Sorell, or Scottsdale: $103.88

Replacement certificates for birth, marriage, or change of name cost $68.31 each if you need additional copies.

Getting the Sequence Right

The most expensive mistake people make is paying for a formal BDM name change when free reversion would have worked. The second most common mistake is updating documents in the wrong order — for example, getting a new passport before updating BDM records, which can trigger additional replacement fees.

The Tasmania After-Divorce Checklist sequences every name change step with the exact documents, fees, and agency contacts so nothing gets done out of order.

See more Tasmania guides →