Name change after marriage in Alabama

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Marriage certificate

• The Alabama Department of Public Health’s Center for Health Statistics has filed marriage certificates since August 1936; older records stay with the probate office of the county that issued the license.⁴
• An Alabama marriage certificate search costs $15, which includes one certified copy, and extra copies of the same record ordered together are $6 each.⁴
• Alabama vital records adds a $15 fee to expedite a marriage certificate request.⁴
• Any county health department in Alabama can print a certified copy of an Alabama marriage certificate, most of them while the customer waits.⁴
• Alabama marriage certificates are unrestricted records: anyone with enough details to find the record and the fee can order one.⁴
• Since August 29, 2019, Alabama probate courts no longer issue marriage licenses; couples complete the Alabama Marriage Certificate form and deliver it to a probate court for recording.⁷
• After an Alabama probate court records the marriage form, the original goes to the Center for Health Statistics, which then issues certified copies.⁷
• Whether an Alabama probate court hands the couple a certified copy at recording depends on the county.⁷

Driver's license

• The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issues a new name as a duplicate license, at the normal duplicate fee, through a probate or licensing office or an ALEA Driver License Office.¹
• ALEA asks for a name change document, such as a marriage certificate, plus proof that the Social Security Administration already has the new name.¹
• ALEA’s Form DL-100 lists $31.25 as the duplicate fee for any Alabama license class or ID card.²
• Alabamians who qualify for a duplicate by mail on Form DL-100 send photocopies of the name change papers and the updated Social Security card.²
• The mail-in duplicate on Form DL-100 is limited to Alabama residents unable to visit an issuing office and to drivers temporarily out of state for reasons the form lists.²
• ALEA accepts only a money order or cashier’s check with a mailed Form DL-100: no cash and no personal checks.²
• For a STAR ID, ALEA requires certified documents linking the name on a birth certificate or passport to a newer name, such as a marriage certificate.³

Voter registration

• The Alabama voter registration application is used both to register and to update an existing record.⁸
• Alabama’s paper voter form, NVRA-2, is also the form for updating a record after a change of name or address.⁹
• The Alabama voter form NVRA-2 has a line for the maiden or former name when reporting a name change.⁹
• Alabama closes voter registration and record updates during the 14 days before each election.⁹
• Alabama’s electronic voter registration application requires a valid Alabama driver license or non-driver ID card.¹⁰
• A printed Alabama voter form is mailed to the Board of Registrars of the county where the voter lives.⁸
• An Alabama voter application takes effect only once the County Board of Registrars reviews and approves it.¹⁰

Social Security

• The Social Security Administration recommends updating your Social Security record before you go to your state motor vehicle office.⁵
• Social Security suggests waiting until the state has recorded the marriage, which takes about 30 days in most cases.⁵
• For proof of identity, Social Security prefers a U.S. driver license and also accepts a state ID card or a U.S. passport.⁵
• Social Security treats a marriage certificate as the ideal proof of both the new legal name and the marriage.⁵
• Social Security accepts only original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency, never photocopies or notarized copies.⁵
• Social Security does not charge for a card with the new name.⁶
• Once Social Security completes the request, the replacement card arrives by mail in 5 to 10 business days.¹¹
• People who cannot use Social Security’s online services fill in the paper Form SS-5 and show the required documents.¹²

Passport

• USAGov says to report a name change to the U.S. Department of State as soon as possible to get an updated passport.¹³
• Form DS-5504 covers a name change by marriage when the passport was issued less than one year ago and the name changed within that year.¹⁴
• The U.S. Department of State charges no fee for Form DS-5504 unless the applicant asks for expedited service or 1–2 day delivery.¹⁴
• Form DS-82, the mail-in passport renewal, accepts a married name when the applicant sends certified proof such as a certified copy of the marriage certificate.¹⁵
• Renewing with Form DS-82 requires sending the most recent passport, issued when the applicant was at least 16 and less than 15 years ago.¹⁵
• An applicant who cannot document the name change with a certified marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order must apply on Form DS-11 instead.¹⁵
• Form DS-11 is filed in person at a passport acceptance facility, at a passport agency by appointment, or at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.¹⁶

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.¹³

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.¹³
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.¹³

• Form SS-5 filled in from your answersYou print it, sign it and bring it to Social Security with your documents. The form itself is free on ssa.gov.
• The passport application for your case, filled inPicked from your answers about your current passport; the State Department’s fees are paid to the State Department. The application also needs a recent color photo, which the kit doesn’t include: U.S. passport photo rules, and a photo from a selfie.
• The Alabama checklistThe steps above in order, with the deadline, the fee and the official page for each one.
• Notification lettersFor your bank, employer, insurer and other accounts, with your old and new names.

The kit does not file anything for you and is not legal advice. Government fees, like the license fee and the county copy of your marriage record, are paid directly to each office.