How to Change Your Name After Marriage

Are you wondering where to change your name after marriage? Whether you’re a newlywed or have been married for some time, you may wish to take your spouse’s surname. This process is relatively simple. However, mistakes can happen. These errors can delay your legal name change. Let Vital Records Online take the confusion out of this process. Find out what you need to change your name after getting married. We’ll also cover the post-marriage name changes you must complete to your driver’s license, Social Security card, and other forms of personal identification. Additionally, you’ll find a name change after marriage checklist below to make this process even easier.

What You’ll Need for Changing Your Name After Marriage

First, you’ll need several copies of vital records. Why? Because you’ll likely need to submit your information to multiple government agencies, companies, etc. These records can include:

• Old IDs
• Certified marriage certificates
• Certified copies of your birth certificate

Marriage license, marriage certificate, and certified copies

These terms are often used interchangeably, but agencies treat them differently:

• Marriage license — the document that authorizes the marriage, issued before the ceremony.
• Marriage certificate or marriage record — the completed license after the ceremony, returned to and recorded by the office that issued it. In some states, including Texas, this recorded license is the marriage record and there is no separate certificate.
• Certified copy — a copy issued and authenticated by the office that recorded your marriage. This is what most agencies ask to see.

What each agency accepts is set by that agency, not by a single national rule, so check before you send anything. You can order certified copies from the county clerk or vital records office that recorded your marriage, or through a service like ours. Changing the name on your birth certificate is not required.

Changing Your Name on Your Social Security Card

Updating Social Security early is widely recommended, but it is a recommendation rather than a legal requirement — there is no federal deadline for updating your Social Security card after marriage. It helps because other agencies may check your details against Social Security records. Check your state’s own deadlines first, though: some states require you to update your driver’s license within a set number of days, and that deadline takes priority.

The Social Security Administration asks you to wait at least 30 days after the date of the marriage before requesting a replacement card, so the state has time to update its records. You change your name by requesting a replacement card. It is free, your Social Security number stays the same, and the card arrives by mail in about 5 to 10 business days.

Depending on your state, you may be able to complete or start the request online; otherwise you will need an appointment at a local office. Start at the SSA’s Change name with Social Security page, which asks a few questions and tells you which route applies. If you cannot use the online service, you will complete a paper Form SS-5 instead.

You will need to show:

• Proof of your legal name change — your marriage document
• Proof of identity — typically a U.S. driver’s license, state-issued non-driver ID card, or U.S. passport
• Proof of U.S. citizenship, but only if you have not already established it with Social Security

Originals or agency-certified copies only. The SSA cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies — documents must be originals or copies certified by the agency that issued them, and they must be current. If you changed your name more than two years ago (four years if you are under 18), you must also show an identity document in your previous name; an expired one is acceptable. The SSA’s list of documents you need sets out what qualifies.

Updating Your Driver’s License and State ID

Changing your name after marriage also requires state-based identification. A state-issued driver’s license usually serves as a state ID. However, not all state IDs allow driving privileges, thus requiring a specific license that allows someone to drive legally. In most cases, the steps for changing your name after marriage are similar for state-issued IDs and driver’s licenses. However, the process, fee, and requirements change from state to state, and some states set a deadline. Texas, for example, requires you to visit a driver license office within 30 days of a name change. Confirm your own state’s rules through the official state motor vehicle directory before you go, and expect to bring:

• An original or certified copy of your marriage record — many states, Texas among them, will not accept photocopies
• Your photo ID(s)
• A Social Security card showing your new name, if your state asks for it — not every state does
• A birth certificate (not always required)

If you are under 18 or a non-citizen resident of the United States, you may have to bring additional documents, such as your emigration papers or your parent’s birth certificates.

Updating Your Name on Your Passport

Updating your name on your passport is straightforward if you have an original or certified copy of your marriage record. Which form you use depends on how long ago your passport was issued. Passport fees are set federally and do not vary by state. If it has been less than one year since both your passport was issued and your name changed, you will need:

• A completed form DS-5504
• A current, valid U.S. Passport
• An original or certified copy of your marriage record
• One recent passport photo

There is no fee for this route, unless you request expedited service. If it has been more than one year since your passport was issued or since your name changed, you will renew instead, using form DS-82 if you are eligible:

• A completed form DS-82
• A current, valid U.S. Passport
• One recent passport photo
• A certified copy of your legal name change document
• Your Social Security number

If you are not eligible to renew by mail, you will apply in person using form DS-11 instead. A fee applies to the renewal and in-person routes; current fees and the full eligibility rules are on the government’s official U.S. passport pages. You will mail your application to the address listed in the form for your location and the speed of service you need.

Traveling soon? The name on your ticket must match the name in the passport you travel on, so if your passport has not been updated yet, book under the name currently in it. Bear in mind that certified copies of your marriage record usually are not available straight away — the record has to be returned and recorded after the ceremony first, which commonly takes a few weeks and varies by jurisdiction.

Updating Your Legal Name

In most cases, you must update your name across your accounts, organizations, and financial obligations, which may include:

• Bank accounts
• Military organizations
• Insurance
• Rentals and leases
• Mortgage
• Property deeds and titles
• Workplace
• Utilities and services (phone, water, trash, sewer, etc.)

Requirements here are set by each institution rather than by law, so they vary. Many banks and insurers ask to see an original or certified copy of your marriage record; others accept a photocopy alongside your updated photo ID or Social Security card. A few ask for a certified birth certificate as well. Check what each organization needs before you send anything, and avoid mailing your only certified copy.

Updating Your Voter Registration

A name change does not cancel your voter registration, but your record should be updated so it matches your ID. How you do that varies by state: some offer online updates, while others require a paper form mailed to your election office. You can often update your registration at the same time you update your driver’s license. Check your state’s process at USA.gov or Vote.gov.

Your Name Change After Marriage Checklist

This is a recommended order, not a legal sequence. Only some of these steps have deadlines, and those are set by your state rather than nationally. Updating Social Security early helps because other agencies may verify your details against its records — but if your state sets a driver’s license deadline, meet that first.

• Social Security Administration
• Department of Motor Vehicles
• U.S. Passport Agency
• Bank accounts
• Insurance providers
• Employer records
• Lease, titles, or property deeds
• Voter registration information
• Utility companies

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Change Your Name After Marriage

Can anyone get a copy of a marriage certificate?

No. You’ll have to prove that you’re one of the spouses on the certificate, a close relative, or have legal or government authority to authorize your ordering the certificate.

How long does it take to get a marriage certificate?

That depends on the office that recorded your marriage. Your marriage record generally has to be returned and recorded after the ceremony before certified copies can be issued, which commonly takes a few weeks, and each office then sets its own processing time for copy requests. If you order through Vital Records Online, we prepare and submit your application for you, but the issuing office’s own processing time and mail delivery still apply on top of that.

Where do you change your name after marriage?

The relevant places to update your name can include government agencies, employers, and service providers. Vital Records Online can jumpstart this process by quickly providing certified copies of your marriage certificate.

Get Certified Copies Fast

How to change your name after marriage typically goes very quickly, especially if you already have enough copies of your marriage certificate. If you’re wondering how to obtain a marriage certificate online, you can order them at Vital Records Online. Ordering your marriage certificate replacement will speed up the process so that you have enough certified copies to complete your name change and return to your life without standing in line or traveling to the state or location where you were married. With our information and name change after the marriage checklist, you should have no problem officially changing your name. [Get Your Marriage Certificate]