Name change after marriage in Delaware

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Marriage certificate

• Delaware law sets the fee for each certified copy of a marriage license or certificate at $25, and active-duty military members and their spouses with a valid military ID pay nothing.⁶
• In Delaware, certified marriage copies are issued either by the Bureau of Vital Statistics or by a county’s Clerk of the Peace.⁶
• Under Delaware law, $15 of every certified marriage copy fee goes to the Domestic Violence Fund.⁶
• The Delaware courts direct people who need copies of marriage certificates to the State of Delaware Office of Vital Statistics.⁹
• Delaware marriage licenses come from the Clerk of the Peace of each county: New Castle, Kent and Sussex.⁹

Driver's license

• Delaware drivers must go in person to a Division of Motor Vehicles office within 30 days of a legal name change to update the license.¹
• The Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles issues the license with the new name for $10.00.¹
• Delaware law (21 Del. C. § 2720) lets a licensed driver whose name changed apply for an updated license with the documents the Division asks for.²
• Section 2720 of the Delaware Code sets a $10 fee for each of those replacement licenses.²
• The Delaware DMV fee table lists $10.00 for a change of name, half the $20.00 charged for a duplicate license.³
• The Delaware DMV tells drivers to change their name with the Social Security Administration 48 to 72 hours before coming in.¹
• Delaware checks each name change against Social Security records through SSOLV and may refuse it when the name, birth date or number does not match.⁴
• For a Delaware name change, drivers bring the old license plus the marriage certificate or court document behind the change.⁴
• The Delaware DMV accepts a marriage license or civil union certificate only if a government entity issued it with a raised seal; certificates signed by clergy are refused.⁵
• Delaware drivers with several marriages or divorces behind them must show every name change document.⁵

Voter registration

• The Delaware Department of Elections offers several ways to update a voter record with a name change.¹⁰
• Delaware voter applications can be filed on the State of Delaware Voter Portal, at any Department of Elections office or on a printed form.¹⁰
• A Delaware voter record can be updated anytime before an election and at the polling place on Election Day.¹⁰
• Delaware DMV offices take voter updates when someone applies for, renews or updates a driver license or state ID.¹⁰
• Under Delaware automatic voter registration, an eligible resident not yet registered is signed up when applying to change the name on a license, permit or state ID.¹⁰

Social Security

• The Social Security Administration recommends updating your Social Security record before you go to your state motor vehicle office.⁷
• Social Security suggests waiting until the state has recorded the marriage, which takes about 30 days in most cases.⁷
• For proof of identity, Social Security prefers a U.S. driver license and also accepts a state ID card or a U.S. passport.⁷
• Social Security treats a marriage certificate as the ideal proof of both the new legal name and the marriage.⁷
• Social Security accepts only original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency, never photocopies or notarized copies.⁷
• Social Security does not charge for a card with the new name.⁸
• 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 Delaware 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.