Name change after marriage in Colorado

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Marriage certificate

• The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment points people to county clerk and recorder’s offices for marriage records.⁴
• Colorado’s Office of the State Registrar issues verifications, not copies, of ceremonial marriages registered with the state.⁶
• A Colorado marriage verification is ordered by mail with the application, a copy of ID, proof of eligibility and a non-refundable fee.⁷
• Couples in Colorado who solemnize their own marriage must return the license to the county clerk and recorder themselves.⁶
• The Colorado state vital records office in Denver serves the public by appointment only, with no walk-ins.⁷

Driver's license

• The Colorado DMV will not change a name until the Social Security Administration has recorded it, which takes about 24 to 48 hours.¹
• Colorado drivers who take a new name after marriage, divorce or civil union must renew the credential with that name within 30 days.¹
• A Colorado name change needs an appointment at a driver license office, booked under the Driver License Renewal option for current card holders.¹
• The Colorado DMV fee table lists $34.00 for a REAL ID driver license renewal.²
• The Colorado DMV accepts a certified marriage certificate from a city, county, state, U.S. territory or another country, with foreign ones translated into English, but no church documents.¹
• The name change document shown to the Colorado DMV must match the name on the person’s Social Security card.¹
• For the Colorado DMV, a certified document carries an official government seal or stamp; a notary public cannot certify it.¹
• In Colorado the name on a vehicle title or registration is changed at the county motor vehicle office, not at the state license office.¹

Voter registration

• The Colorado voter registration form is used both to register and to update a name, address or political party.⁸
• The Colorado voter form has a box to mark a legal name update and a line for the previous legal name.⁸
• On GoVoteColorado, the Secretary of State’s “Change my name” option opens the paper registration form.⁹
• A completed Colorado voter form goes to the county clerk and recorder by mail, by email or in person.⁸
• Colorado voters who want a mail ballot must register or update by mail, at a registration agency or at a driver license office by the 8th day before Election Day.¹⁰
• After the mail-ballot cutoff, Colorado voters can still register in person at a voter service and polling center through Election Day.¹⁰
• Colorado DMV offices take voter registrations when a driver applies for a license or updates license information.¹⁰

Social Security

• The Social Security Administration recommends updating your Social Security record before you go to your state motor vehicle office.³
• Social Security suggests waiting until the state has recorded the marriage, which takes about 30 days in most cases.³
• For proof of identity, Social Security prefers a U.S. driver license and also accepts a state ID card or a U.S. passport.³
• Social Security treats a marriage certificate as the ideal proof of both the new legal name and the marriage.³
• Social Security accepts only original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency, never photocopies or notarized copies.³
• 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.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 Colorado 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.