Name change after marriage in Kentucky

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Marriage certificate

• The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics in Frankfort keeps marriage records and issues certified copies of them.⁴
• Kentucky began registering marriages centrally in June 1958; for an older marriage, the county clerk that issued the license is the place to ask.⁴
• Besides walk-in service, the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics takes orders by mail, through a drop box at its building and online through VitalChek, the only online vendor it authorizes.⁴

Driver's license

• Kentucky requires a name change on a driver license to be made in person at a Driver Licensing Regional Office, with legal proof of the change; it cannot be done online or by mail.¹
• The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will not process a name change until the applicant’s information matches Social Security records.¹
• For the visit, Kentucky asks for the updated Social Security card and a legal name change document such as a marriage certificate.¹
• A name change on a Kentucky driver license costs $15.00.¹
• Kentucky hands out a temporary document at the office, and the permanent card usually arrives by mail within 10 to 15 business days.¹
• For a Kentucky REAL ID, a certified marriage certificate is required even when the current card already shows the married name.²
• Kentucky’s REAL ID list of name change documents names the marriage license as not accepted.²

Voter registration

• Kentucky voters who change their name must update their registration, online or with a paper application filed at the County Clerk’s Office.⁶
• The Kentucky online voter application at govote.ky.gov can be filled in with the help of a current Kentucky driver license.⁶
• Once the Kentucky registration deadline passes, the voter rolls are frozen and no update is taken until after that election.⁷

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.⁸
• People who cannot use Social Security’s online services fill in the paper Form SS-5 and show the required documents.⁹

Passport

• USAGov says to report a name change to the U.S. Department of State as soon as possible to get an updated passport.¹⁰
• 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.¹¹
• 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.¹¹
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹³

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.¹⁰

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.¹⁰
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.¹⁰

• 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 Kentucky 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.