Name change after marriage in Alaska

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Marriage certificate

• Alaska Health Analytics and Vital Records charges $30 for the first certified copy of a marriage certificate and $25 for each additional copy.³
• An Alaska marriage license does not record a married name, so Alaska Vital Records tells newlyweds who want a new name to order a certified copy of the marriage certificate as proof.³
• In Alaska the signed marriage license must reach Health Analytics and Vital Records within seven days of the ceremony.³
• An Alaska marriage certificate can be requested only after the returned license has been officially registered by Vital Records.³
• Alaska Vital Records takes marriage certificate orders through VitalChek online, by mail or fax, or in person at its Anchorage and Juneau offices.³
• Alaska Vital Records works with no third-party vendor other than VitalChek and warns that other sites may charge high processing fees.³
• Alaska Vital Records reports processing times of one to two months because of high request volume.³

Driver's license

• Alaska law (AS 28.05.071) requires drivers to notify the Division of Motor Vehicles of a name change within 30 days.¹
• The Alaska DMV only accepts proof of a name change in person, for a driver license, permit or state ID card alike.¹
• For an updated card the Alaska DMV asks for Form D1, may require a vision test, and charges the current license fee for the replacement credential.¹
• On the Alaska DMV list of name change documents, a marriage certificate must come from Vital Statistics.¹
• The Alaska DMV takes only original certified copies of name change documents and refuses photocopies and faxes.¹
• Alaska drivers whose name has changed more than once must bring papers that connect every name in the chain.¹
• The Alaska DMV fee table lists a duplicate driver or motorcycle license at $15 for a standard card and $35 for a REAL ID card.²
• An Alaska driver license (class D) costs $20 as a standard card and $40 as a REAL ID card on the DMV fee table.²

Voter registration

• The Alaska Division of Elections lets voters with a name change apply for a new voter ID card through the state’s Online Voter Registration System.⁶
• Alaska’s online voter system needs a valid Alaska driver license or state ID, and the details entered must match the voter’s DMV record.⁶
• A new or replacement Alaska voter card ordered through a Regional Elections Office arrives by mail in about two to four weeks.⁶
• Alaskans can also update a voter registration in person at a Division of Elections office or a registration agency, a list that includes DMV offices.⁶

Social Security

• The Social Security Administration recommends updating your Social Security record before you go to your state motor vehicle office.⁴
• Social Security suggests waiting until the state has recorded the marriage, which takes about 30 days in most cases.⁴
• For proof of identity, Social Security prefers a U.S. driver license and also accepts a state ID card or a U.S. passport.⁴
• Social Security treats a marriage certificate as the ideal proof of both the new legal name and the marriage.⁴
• Social Security accepts only original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency, never photocopies or notarized copies.⁴
• Social Security does not charge for a card with the new name.⁵
• Once Social Security completes the request, the replacement card arrives by mail in 5 to 10 business days.⁷
• People who cannot use Social Security’s online services fill in the paper Form SS-5 and show the required documents.⁸

Passport

• USAGov says to report a name change to the U.S. Department of State as soon as possible to get an updated passport.⁹
• 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.¹⁰
• 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.¹⁰
• 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.¹¹
• 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.¹¹
• 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.¹¹
• 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.¹²

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.⁹

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.⁹
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.⁹

• 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 Alaska 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.