Name change after marriage in Michigan

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Marriage certificate

• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services keeps marriage records that were registered in Michigan as far back as 1867.⁴
• A mailed request on Michigan’s marriage record form costs $34, which covers a one-year search and one certified copy.⁵
• On Michigan’s mail-in marriage record form, each additional certified copy costs $16.⁵
• Michigan marriage records are not restricted: anyone who completes, signs and pays for the application can ask MDHHS for a search.⁵
• A Michigan confidential marriage performed through the probate court is released only to the bride or groom.⁴
• For a standard Michigan record ordered online, MDHHS lists a $34 search fee plus a $14 online processing fee.⁴
• MDHHS Vital Records lists current processing times of 10 to 12 weeks for a regular marriage record order and 8 to 10 weeks for an expedited one.⁴
• A Michigan Will Call order placed through VitalChek is processed within 2 to 5 business days and picked up on a Tuesday or Thursday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., once an email says it is ready.⁴
• In-person orders at Michigan Vital Records are taken by appointment only, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.⁴
• Michigan’s mail-in marriage record form charges $12 more for expedited rush processing, which shortens only the time the request spends in the office.⁵
• MDHHS Vital Records sends corrections of a Michigan marriage record to the county clerk where the license was issued.⁷

Driver's license

• The Michigan Department of State requires a scheduled visit to a Secretary of State office to change the name on a driver’s license or state ID.¹
• The Michigan Department of State lists the name correction as unavailable online, by mail and at self-service stations; it says an office visit takes about 20 minutes on average.²
• The Michigan Department of State tells drivers to process the name change with the Social Security Administration before changing the name on a license or state ID.¹
• For a name correction, the Michigan Department of State asks for the current license or ID and official proof from the Social Security Administration that the legal name changed.²
• Changing the name on a Michigan driver’s license costs $9, and on a state ID $10.²
• The Michigan Department of State verifies every name and Social Security number before issuing a card and denies the application when the name and birth date differ from the SSA file.²
• As proof of a new name, the Michigan Department of State takes a court order, a marriage certificate or a divorce decree issued in the United States.²
• Michigan also accepts evidence that a person has used the name for at least six months, and every name-change document must show both the old and the new name.²
• Someone in Michigan adding a REAL ID who has changed names several times may need more than one document linking the current name to the birth name.²
• At the Michigan office, staff take a new photo and issue a temporary paper credential; the permanent card is printed at a secure off-site facility and mailed.²
• A Michigan license or ID holds up to 36 characters in the full name, drops apostrophes and prints hyphens.²
• The Michigan correction fee can be paid by credit or debit card with an added fee, in cash, or by check or money order to the State of Michigan.²

Voter registration

• Michigan voters who change their legal name must re-register with the updated information, and the usual registration deadlines apply.⁸
• Michigan voters can register online, by mail or in person up to 15 days before an election; within 14 days, only in person at the local clerk with proof of residency.⁸
• Online voter registration in Michigan asks for a Michigan driver’s license number, a Michigan state ID or the last four digits of the Social Security number.⁸
• Under Michigan’s automatic voter registration law, an address change on the voter record also changes the license or ID address, and the other way around.⁸
• The Michigan Bureau of Elections manual for election officials says a voter who holds a Michigan driver’s license or state ID makes a name change in person at a Secretary of State office.⁹
• Once a Michigan clerk receives a name change, the clerk updates the voter record and mails the voter a new Voter Information Card.⁹
• Michigan voters who have no Michigan driver’s license or state ID contact the Bureau of Elections to change the name on their registration.⁹
• The Michigan Bureau of Elections told the state Auditor General in 2026 that a name change recorded on a license or state ID updates the voter file daily when both records carry the card number.¹⁰
• According to the same 2026 Auditor General report, a name changed only in Michigan’s voter file does not carry over to the driver’s license record.¹⁰

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.⁶
• 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 Michigan 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.