Name change after marriage in Illinois

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Marriage certificate

• The Illinois Department of Public Health keeps no marriage records; certified copies come only from the county clerk in the county where the marriage took place.⁵
• IDPH Vital Records can confirm the facts of an Illinois marriage recorded from 1962 on: the names, dates of birth, date of the event and city or county.⁵
• An Illinois marriage verification from IDPH costs $5 and can be requested by mail, by fax or in person.⁵
• IDPH returns a marriage verification request unprocessed when the readable, unexpired government photo ID is missing.⁵

Driver's license

• The Illinois Secretary of State says state law requires drivers to report a name change to the office within 10 days.¹
• Illinois drivers can give that notice at a DMV facility or by letter to the Driver Services Department in Springfield.²
• A new Illinois driver license showing the new name costs $5 and requires a trip to a driver services facility.²
• The Illinois Secretary of State’s online form takes address changes only; a name change on a license or state ID card must be completed at a DMV.²
• Illinois requires anyone whose name changes to apply for a corrected driver license or state ID, handing in the old card at a DMV and showing acceptable identification.¹
• The Illinois Secretary of State’s fee table lists a corrected driver license at $5, $2 for drivers aged 81 to 86 and free from age 87.³
• A corrected Illinois state ID card costs $10, $5 for applicants under 18 and nothing from age 65.³
• For a name change, the Illinois Secretary of State asks for identification in the new name plus a document that links the old and new names.¹
• The Illinois Secretary of State checks name, date of birth and Social Security number with the Social Security Administration before issuing a license and withholds the card when the records cannot be verified.¹
• After a name change, Illinois hands out a temporary driver license on secure paper and mails the permanent card within 15 business days.¹
• An Illinois DMV visit for a corrected license ends with a temporary paper license valid for 90 days instead of the permanent card.¹
• For flights, the Illinois Secretary of State says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security accepts the temporary paper license together with the previous card, which the DMV hands back, until the permanent card arrives.¹
• Illinois commercial driver license holders must also obtain a corrected CDL within 30 days of a name change.²

Voter registration

• The Illinois State Board of Elections says a voter whose name changed more than 27 days before an election and who did not re-register cannot vote in it, unless the voter lives in the same precinct.⁷
• Illinois voter registration is open all year except the 27 days before an election and the 2 days after it, or 1 day after in Chicago.⁷
• Illinois online voter registration stays open until 16 days before Election Day.⁸
• Illinois “Grace Period” registration extends the time a voter has to register or to update registration information.⁷
• Under Illinois automatic voter registration, a license application at a Secretary of State Driver Services facility also offers the chance to update an existing voter registration.⁹

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.⁶
• Once Social Security completes the request, the replacement card arrives by mail in 5 to 10 business days.¹⁰
• People who cannot use Social Security’s online services fill in the paper Form SS-5 and show the required documents.¹¹

Passport

• USAGov says to report a name change to the U.S. Department of State as soon as possible to get an updated passport.¹²
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹⁴
• 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.¹⁴
• 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.¹⁴
• 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.¹⁵

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.¹²

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.¹²
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.¹²

• 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 Illinois 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.