How to Change Your Last Name After Marriage in the US: Social Security, DMV and Passport, in That Order

There is no single office for a name change in the US. Your marriage certificate shows the name you chose when you applied for the license, and from there you take that certificate to each agency in turn. USAGov’s advice is to start with the Social Security Administration and your state motor vehicle office, because almost everything else is easier once those two are done.

The rules below are federal for Social Security and the passport, and state by state for the driver’s license; California’s DMV serves as the example. If you are keeping your name, nothing here applies to you, and if both of you are changing, each of you goes through the same steps.

Before anything: certified copies of the marriage certificate

USAGov tells you to use certified copies of key documents as proof, and every agency below asks for one. A certified copy is issued by the office that recorded your marriage and carries its seal; the passport forms ask for an official certified document showing a seal and the officiant’s or judge’s signature. The decorative certificate from the ceremony doesn’t qualify.

Order two or three as soon as the marriage is recorded. You will hand one over at the counter, mail another with the passport application, and the State Department sends original documents back with the new passport, but not on the same day you need them elsewhere.

The order that works

1. 1. Social SecurityReplace your card in your new name. It is free, and other agencies, including the DMV, check your name against Social Security’s records.
2. 2. Driver’s license or state IDApply to your state motor vehicle office once Social Security has your new name. An updated license makes the next steps easier, according to USAGov.
3. 3. PassportUse DS-5504, DS-82 or DS-11 depending on how recent your passport is. Originals come back by mail.
4. 4. Everyone elseVoter registration, the post office, the VA if you receive benefits, state tax and property tax offices, then your bank, employer and insurers.

Social Security: free, and first

Changing the name on your Social Security card goes through the card replacement process, and replacements are free. Depending on your situation, you may be able to request it online or you may need to go in person; USAGov links to a short set of questions that finds the right route for you.

Two reasons put it at the top of the list. USAGov says other agencies learn of name changes through Social Security, and that every name on your tax return must match its records: the IRS calls it critical to update your name with Social Security before you file. If you marry in the fall and file in the spring, that leaves a few months to get it done.

The driver’s license: California as an example

California’s DMV starts by checking your new name with Social Security. If the two don’t match, the application is denied and you receive a Request for Verification of Information letter explaining what to do. That single rule is why Social Security comes first.

• Fill in the online application for a new license or ID card in your new name; you can ask for a REAL ID at the same time.
• For a REAL ID, bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of California residency. For a standard license, proof of your true full name is enough.
• If you have changed your name before, you may need proof of every earlier change: marriage certificates, divorce documents or name change orders.
• Visit a field office, with or without an appointment. The change isn’t complete until you do: bring your current license and your documents, pay the fee and scan your thumbprint.
• You leave with a temporary license valid for 60 days, and the new card arrives by mail within three to four weeks.

Moving in together at the same time? California treats the address as a separate update: the law gives you 10 days to tell the DMV, and the change is free, online through a MyDMV account, by mail with form DMV 14, or at any office. Doing both on the same visit saves a trip.

Other states run the same process with their own forms and fees; USAGov sends you to your state motor vehicle office for the details.

The passport: which form

The State Department’s forms decide the route by the age of your passport. Check the issue date on yours before the wedding, because the cheapest option has a deadline.

DS-82 has a checklist of its own, and every line has to be true: you can send your most recent passport, you were at least 16 when it was issued, it was issued less than 15 years ago, it hasn’t been damaged, lost or reported stolen, and you can document the name change with a certified copy of your marriage certificate. If any answer is no, the form sends you to DS-11 or DS-5504.

Take an example. A passport issued on September 10, 2026, and a wedding on June 12, 2027: the name changes nine months after the issue date, so DS-5504 applies, free, as long as you send it before the passport turns one. Wait until October 2027 and the same change goes through DS-82, at the renewal fee.

Both mail-in forms return your supporting documents with the new passport. If the honeymoon is close, book the flights in the name on the passport you will actually carry: a new passport that hasn’t arrived yet is no help at the airport. More on timing in our honeymoon planning guide.

Then everyone else

USAGov lists the federal and state offices to notify after the big three. Use the same certified copy, and keep a list of where you have sent it.

• USCIS, if you hold a naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship: the update is an application, online or by mail.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs, if you receive VA health care or benefits.
• Your voter registration, online through vote.gov or with the National Mail Voter Registration form.
• The post office that delivers your mail.
• Your state’s social services office, if you receive assistance, and your state taxing authority.
• The city or county property tax office, if you own a home.

Then the private side, which no government list covers: your bank and credit cards, your employer’s payroll, insurance, utilities, and the airline loyalty account that should match your passport.

Hyphens, spellings and other traps

Pick the exact form of the name once and use it everywhere: hyphen or space, one surname or two. California’s DMV denies an application when the name doesn’t match Social Security’s records, so make sure the spelling Social Security has is exactly the one you write on the DMV form. Write the final version on the first application you fill in, and copy it from there.

A realistic pace is one agency every week or two after the certificate arrives. Spread the steps across the first two months of married life in your wedding planning timeline, and keep a folder with the certified copies, the receipts and the dates.