How to Change Your Name After Marriage
Get certified copies of your marriage certificate, then update your name with Social Security first, since other agencies check its records. Next update your driver's license or state ID, then your passport, bank accounts, employer and payroll, insurance and voter registration. A court order is usually not needed for a name change by marriage, but it is needed for other changes.
Marriage is one of the easiest times to change your legal name, because the marriage certificate itself is accepted as proof.
Step 1: Get certified marriage certificates
Order several certified copies from the county or state office that recorded your marriage. Agencies require certified copies, not photocopies.
Step 2: Social Security
Update your name with the Social Security Administration first (SSA). Your number stays the same; you get a new card with your new name. SSA has expanded online options for marriage-based name changes in many states, or you can apply in person or by mail with your marriage certificate and identity documents. Wait until SSA's records update before going to other agencies, since many check SSA data.
Step 3: Driver's license or state ID
Visit your state motor vehicle agency with your marriage certificate and proof of the SSA update if required. If you hold a REAL ID, follow the state's documentation rules.
Step 4: Passport
How you update depends on how long ago your passport was issued; the State Department offers forms for name changes within one year of issue and for routine renewals with a name change (State Department). Book travel in the name on your passport.
Step 5: Everything else
- Employer and payroll (so your W-2 matches SSA)
- Banks, credit cards and loans
- Insurance policies and beneficiary designations
- Voter registration
- Utilities, leases and mortgage
- Professional licenses
- Doctors and pharmacies
- Wills, trusts and powers of attorney, when you update estate plans
Non-citizens
Permanent residents update their green card with Form I-90; see how to renew a green card.
Other name changes
Changing your name for reasons other than marriage or divorce, or choosing a combination name not supported by your marriage certificate in your state, usually requires a court order. You can also restore a prior name in a divorce decree; see how to file for divorce.
A family lawyer can help if your situation involves a court petition or a name change for a child.
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This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws differ by state and change over time; talk to a licensed attorney in your state about your situation.