Name change after marriage in Iowa

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Marriage certificate

• In Iowa, county recorders act as local registrars and keep the marriage records for events in their county.⁶
• Iowa’s state vital records office takes requests for certified marriage certificates by telephone, in person or by mail.⁶
• Iowa charges the same $20.00 for each record search at the county and at the state level, and a copy is issued when the record is found.⁶
• The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services charges $20.00 for each certified copy of a vital record.⁴
• If Iowa HHS cannot find the record, it sends a search notice and keeps the $20.00 fee.⁴
• A mailed request to Iowa HHS needs a notarized application and a clear photocopy of a current government-issued photo ID.⁴
• At the state vital records office in Des Moines, in-person requests received by 2 p.m. on a weekday are processed in two hours.⁴
• Ordering an Iowa certified record online through VitalChek adds a fee that starts at $14.00 per order.⁴

Driver's license

• The Iowa Department of Transportation changes the name on a driver license or ID only in person, by appointment at a DMV location, and asks for proof of the change.¹
• The Iowa DOT fee table lists $10 for a replacement license or ID card, the card issued after a name change.²
• Iowa DMV locations do not accept photocopies or faxes of name change documents.¹
• For the Iowa DOT, a certified copy must bear the original seal and certificate of the court or registrar, not just a file or date stamp.¹
• Iowa Code section 321.41 gives a vehicle owner whose name legally changes ten days to tell the county treasurer where the title is recorded.³

Voter registration

• The Iowa Secretary of State requires voters to update their registration after a name change.⁸
• An Iowa voter updates the record by submitting a new registration online or sending a paper form to the county auditor.⁸
• Iowa’s online voter registration runs on the Iowa Department of Transportation website and needs an Iowa driver license or non-operator ID.⁹
• Iowa county auditors mail a voter registration card within two weeks.⁹
• Iowa’s pre-registration deadline falls 15 days before the election in which the voter wants to vote.⁹

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.⁷
• 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 Iowa 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.