Thinking of using a hyphenated surname after getting married? Here are the pros and cons

Does a hyphenated surname after marriage sound good to you? 

Combining your maiden surname with your husband's using a hyphen lets you carry your identity with you into your married life. By doing so, you get to honor your past while embracing your future. 

According to Atty. Chelsea Liao-Ariza, no law mentions the hyphen at all. The Civil Code only goes as far as giving married women options for their surname after marriage: her maiden full name plus her husband's surname with no hyphen; her maiden first name plus her husband's surname; or her husband's full name prefixed with "Mrs.," which indicates that she is his wife. 

"The Supreme Court has treated the use of the husband's surname under Article 370 as permissive, not obligatory," she said. "A married woman may also continue using her maiden name. Using the husband's surname is an option, not a duty."

Challenges of a hyphenated surname

If an individual who was born with one surname chooses, as an adult, to add another surname using a hyphen, the main difficulty will be the mismatch across records.

"Your PSA birth certificate says one thing, your diploma and professional license say another, and your post-marriage IDs say a third. Any transaction that requires strict name-matching, like passport and visa applications, bank onboarding, property transfers, estate settlement, and insurance claims can stall," Liao-Ariza said.

Atty. Carlo John Pascual told L!fe that an institution that verifies identity against the PSA record "may therefore treat the differing form as a discrepancy requiring explanation or supporting documentation."

Further, per Pascual, the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice dictate that "a notary must be satisfied as to the signatory's identity through competent evidence of identity." A document signed by Maria Santos-Cruz cannot be supported by an ID bearing the name Maria Cruz.

"Inconsistency also compounds," said Liao-Ariza. "The more formats you switch between, the more verification you trigger. So the practical rule is to pick one format and use it everywhere, including the hyphen and spacing." 

Many systems are also not equipped to handle hyphens in surnames; some drop the hyphen, split the surname into two fields, or record the maiden name as the middle name. 

Numerous government and corporate forms in the Philippines are the same way, not having templates that fit hyphenated surnames. 

When hyphenation is an advantage

According to Pascual, hyphenating a married surname ensures "continuity of professional identity."

With a combined maiden and married surname, it will be easy to trace publications, professional licenses, corporate records, academic credentials, Roll of Attorneys entries, and commercial goodwill established under the maiden name.

"It links the two record sets," Pascual said. "Because both surnames appear, the hyphenated form may serve as the most direct documentary link between pre-marriage and post-marriage records."

There will be no need for two different sets of professional identities, per Liao-Ariza. "For lawyers, doctors, academics, or anyone with a license, a body of published work, or a client base built under their maiden name, the hyphen keeps that intact instead of forcing a clean break."

Hyphenating a surname also avoids the reversion issue in passports. "A woman who has not entirely abandoned her maiden surname may avoid reliance on the one-time reversion to maiden name now permitted under the New Philippine Passport Act," Pascual explained. 

Updating your surname in official records

Per the lawyers, the law doesn't recognize hyphenated surnames as a distinct legal category. What matters legally is the name on your civil registry record and the name you consistently use on your IDs.

Banks operate under BSP's KYC rules and the AMLA framework, according to Liao-Ariza. This involves updating the customer information sheet and specimen signature card, then presenting the PSA marriage certificate and valid IDs with the name intended for the account.  

Since a hyphenated surname is included in the provisions for married women under the Civil Code, government agencies allow hyphenated surnames. Each agency, however, has its own forms and documentary requirements. 

Here's how to update your surname in official records and what you'll need.

GSIS

Do one of the following:

1. Process your request using your GSIS UMID card at any GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System kiosk. Find one in GSIS branches and extension offices, provincial capitol and city hall buildings, select municipal offices, major government agencies, Robinsons Malls, and select SM City malls.

2. Get assistance from an Agency Authorized Officer.

3. Submit either a filled-out Member's Request Form, which you can download here, or an original signed request letter. There are three ways of submission: by postal mail, courier, or over the counter at any GSIS office.

4. Email the accomplished MRF or request letter to the GSIS office nearest you (find their email address here). Include one of the following in the email:

• A scanned copy or photo of your UMID card (just the front)
• Your PhilSys ID
• Two valid government-issued IDs

The process is free, unless GSIS asks for more supporting documents, in which case you will have to pay the concerned agency the proper processing fees for the necessary documents.

Find more information here.

SSS

If you are updating your maiden name with a hyphenated surname from marriage, submit the following documents to the SSS branch nearest you:

1. A fully accomplished and signed E-4 Form, which you can download here.

2. The original and a photocopy of your PSA marriage certificate. Make sure it is the authenticated copy from the Philippine Statistics Authority and not just a copy from the local civil registry.

3. The original and a photocopy of your PSA birth certificate. This is to verify your maiden name and other details.

4. One valid government-issued ID. It has to have your photo and signature.

5. Your SSS ID or UMID card, if available

The process usually takes two to four weeks and is free of charge.

PhilHealth

Submit the following documents to the PhilHealth office or satellite branch nearest you:

1. Two printed copies of the fully accomplished PhilHealth Member Registration Form, which you can download here or pick up from PhilHealth offices nationwide. In Section V of the form, tick the box for "Change/Correction of Name" and fill out the necessary details.

2. The original and a photocopy of your PSA-issued marriage certificate.

3. The original and a photocopy of one valid government-issued ID showing your new hyphenated name. If you are updating your name for the first time, bring along a valid ID bearing your maiden name.  

4. Your PhilHealth ID or printed-out Member Data Record, if available

The process is free of charge.

Pag-IBIG

Submit the following documents to any Pag-IBIG office:

1. A fully accomplished Member's Change of Information Form, which you can download here. 

2. The original and a photocopy of your PSA-issued marriage certificate

3. The original and a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID with your hyphenated name, if any. If you are updating your name for the first time, bring along a valid ID bearing your maiden name.

The process is free of charge.

PRC

You may change your name on your PRC ID online or at any official PRC satellite office.

Online

1. If you don't yet have an account in LERIS, the database of PRC Online Services, register here.   

2. Select "Transaction", choose "Petition", then enter your profession and PRC ID number.

3. Under "Updating", choose "Change status" then "Change surname". Fill in the necessary details

4. Upload PDF copies of your PSA marriage certificate and birth certificate.

5. Pay the necessary fees online:

• Mandatory fee: P225
•  Convenience fee for online processing via the PRC LERIS portal: P20 to P50
• New PRC ID card fee: P250, only if you request a printed ID card after your update. Alternatively, you can wait until you renew your license and just pay the standard P420 or P450 renewal fee. 

At any PRC office

1. Download the Petition for Change of Registered Name Due to Marriage here. 

2. After accomplishing the form, gather the necessary documents:

• Original and photocopy of your PSA certificate of marriage
•  Original and photocopy of your PSA certificate of live birth. If there are discrepancies in the entries, prepare an Affidavit of Discrepancy.
•  A photocopy of your current PRC ID card
• One passport-size ID picture with a white background

3. Submit the documents at the Regulation Division of the PRC office closest to you.

4. Pay the necessary fees:

• Mandatory fee: P225
• New PRC ID card fee: P250, only if you request a printed ID card after your update. Alternatively, you can wait until you renew your license and just pay the standard P420 or P450 renewal fee.

Take note that the claiming of new IDs has to be done personally.

Philippine Passport

According to Pascual, the most significant recent development concerns passports. The New Philippine Passport Act mandates that "a married woman may voluntarily revert to her maiden name, but only once, provided that all her other existing identification cards and pertinent documents likewise reflect her maiden name." 

You may update your surname when you renew your passport. The Department of Foreign Affairs suggests you initiate the process at least 10 months before your passport's expiration date.

Before going for renewal, make sure you have the following documents ready:

• Accomplished renewal application form, which you may download here.
• Original passport and a photocopy of the data page

You may also bring your PSA marriage certificate and birth certificate in case DFA asks for them upon renewal.

The processing of a surname change is free. Since you will be doing this upon passport renewal, all you will need to pay is the renewal fee. Regular processing is at P950; expedited processing will cost P1,200. Take note that fees may vary depending on where you are located and how quickly you need your passport renewed. Check out PhilSTAR L!fe's detailed guide here.

Remember that when you change your surname after marriage, per the PSA hotline, you will not be able to revert it back to your maiden last name unless you become a widow or you separate from your spouse through annulment.

PhilSys/National ID

You will have to visit a PhilSys office to process a surname change on your national ID. In Metro Manila, they have offices in Manila, Makati, Quezon City, Caloocan, and Pasay. For regional offices, call their hotline at 1388. 

Make sure to bring the following documents:

• PSA marriage certificate
• National ID

The process is free.