Name change after marriage in Maine

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Marriage certificate

• Every Maine town or city clerk keeps a running record of the marriages reported to that office and forwards each record to the state registrar.⁴
• In Maine, the municipal clerk who issued the marriage license and the clerk of the town where the wedding took place may both issue certified copies of the marriage certificate through the statewide vital records system.⁷
• Maine releases certified copies of a vital record to the person named on it and to a short list of others that starts with the spouse.⁸

Driver's license

• A Maine driver who changes names must notify the Secretary of State within 30 days, giving the former and new names and the license number.¹
• Under Maine law, a driver license updated with any change of information is treated as a duplicate.²
• Maine sets the fee for a duplicate driver license at $5.²
• A duplicate of a Maine license issued under Section 1260, the REAL ID-compliant card, costs $30, and expedited issuance adds $10.²

Voter registration

• A Maine voter whose name changes by marriage must give the registrar written notice of the new and former names before registration closes, or report it through the online voter registration application.⁹
• A Maine voter who has not reported a new name before Election Day has to see the registrar that day to vote, unless the registrar already made the correction.⁹
• In Maine, a marriage alone cannot cancel a voter registration; the registrar may write to ask whether the name or address changed.¹⁰
• Maine’s voter guide sets 5 p.m. on the 21st day before Election Day as the cutoff for online registration and the 7th day before for registration through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.¹¹

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.¹²
• People who cannot use Social Security’s online services fill in the paper Form SS-5 and show the required documents.¹³

Passport

• USAGov says to report a name change to the U.S. Department of State as soon as possible to get an updated passport.⁶
• 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.⁶

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.⁶
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.⁶

• 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 Maine 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.