Whether you change your name after the wedding is entirely up to you. Govt.nz says you can keep your last name, take your partner’s, hyphenate, or use both last names with a space between them.

Some people take their partner’s name straight away, some wait a while, and some keep their own name for work and use their married name socially. All of those are fine.

If you do take a new name, you usually don’t need to fill in forms or go through a formal process. If an organisation asks for proof, your marriage certificate is usually enough.

For Kiwis who live overseas, the passport is where it gets a little more practical. Here’s what to know before you book the flights home, and the ones after.

Book your honeymoon in your current name

This is the one that catches people out. The Passport Office says the name in your passport must match the name on your travel tickets.

The good news is you don’t need to rush. The Passport Office says you can keep travelling on a passport in your original name after you marry, as long as you book your tickets in that name.

So if you’re heading straight from the reception to Rarotonga, book the honeymoon in the name on the passport you’ll be carrying. The new name can wait until you’re home.

The same goes for accommodation, travel insurance and car hire booked for the honeymoon. Keep everything in the name on your passport, and you won’t have any awkward moments at a check-in desk.

Applying from overseas

When you want your new name in your passport, you’ll need a new passport. The Passport Office says you can apply online from anywhere in the world.

If you were born in New Zealand and changed your name here, you don’t need to provide supporting documents. If you changed your name outside New Zealand, you’ll upload a scan of the official document that confirms it, translated into English if it’s in another language.

As at October 2026, the Passport Office lists an adult passport applied for online at NZD $247, or $494 for the urgent service, plus courier delivery. If you’re a non-resident for New Zealand tax purposes, GST isn’t included in your fee.

Paper applications processed overseas have their own fees. The Passport Office lists an adult passport at GBP £147 when processed in the United Kingdom, and AUD $286 when processed in Australia.

Have a passport-style photo ready before you start, and check the photo rules on passports.govt.nz. Getting it right first time is the easiest way to avoid delays.

How long it takes

The Passport Office says to allow at least four weeks (20 working days), plus time for delivery. Urgent applications aim to be processed within three working days.

Often it’s quicker than that. In mid-October 2026, the Passport Office reported that 86.5% of passports had been issued within 10 working days the previous week, though that figure changes week to week.

It’s often easiest to wait until after the honeymoon, when there are no flights booked. Then you can update the passport first and work through everything else at your own pace.

Once the new passport arrives, a simple list helps. Your bank, employer, doctor, any overseas visa or residence records and your airline loyalty accounts are good places to start.

If you live in a country where your visa or residence permit is linked to your passport, check with that country’s immigration authority before you change anything. They may need to update their records too.

Fees and timeframes can change, so check passports.govt.nz before you apply. The paperwork takes a few weeks, and the name is yours for good.