Legal name

Your legal or primary name is the name you use on official documentation.

It's the name we will use on your testamur once you graduate and any formal documentation you receive from the university.

You will need to update your name with the university if you something changes, for example, you want to be known by your married name.

How to update your legal or primary name

Students must submit all requests for name changes in writing and include the following in the description of your request:

  • Eight (8) digit student number
  • Full name
  • Description of request (e.g., Change of Name).

Required documentation

Legal documentation must be attached to the email to support the requested change.

Depending on the type of request, additional documentation may be required.

See the following list of acceptable documentation to see what documentation is required for your request.

Acceptable legal documentation

  • Australian Citizenship Certificate
  • Birth Certificate (issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages)
  • Change of Name Certificate (issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages)
  • Civil Union Certificate or other legal documents supplied as part of a name matching request with the Australian Taxation Office
  • Death Certificate (issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages)
  • Divorce Certificate (issued by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia)
  • Marriage Certificate (issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages or a verified overseas equivalent)
  • Passport - Current

A driver's licence, commemorative birth/marriage certificates or birth extracts are not considered a legal document for this purpose.

Required Documentation for Request

Change of name request Documentation required
Incorrect spelling of first / middle / surname One legal document
Adding an additional middle name One legal document
Expanding an initial to the full word, e.g. John M. Citizen > John Michael Citizen One legal document
Amending the order of first / middle / surname, e.g. John Michael Citizen > Michael John Citizen One legal document
Marriage - where student taking spouse's surname after marriage Marriage Certificate
Marriage - where student wishes to hyphenate combination of two surnames, e.g. Smith-Jones

Marriage Certificate - this permits the recording of a combination of the two surnames listed with hyphens

or

Change of Name Certificate

Marriage - where student wishes to double-barrel surnames, e.g. Smith Jones (no hyphenation) Marriage Certificate - this permits the recording of a combination of the two surnames listed without hyphens
Revert back to maiden name

Birth Certificate
Marriage Certificate

and one of the following

Death Certificate
Divorce Certificate

Gender related changes Change of Name Certificate
Change to given first / middle / surname, e.g. John Citizen, James Citizen > John Woodstock

Birth Certificate

and

Change of Name Certificate

A wholly new name Change of Name Certificate
Graduation name changes One legal document

If you are an international student OR a student in Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) or Bachelor of Teaching Secondary courses you will also need to provide verified copies of your documents. Go to How to verify your documents for further information.

If you are an international student, you must, in the first instance, use your current passport to verify your full name and date of birth with Charles Sturt University.

If you are residing offshore and do not have a current passport from your country of citizenship, you can use government-issued national identity papers to verify your full name and date of birth.