Name change after marriage in Mississippi

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Marriage certificate

• In Mississippi, marriage records are kept by both the State Department of Health and county officials, and the department will order a copy or find the county that issued the license.⁵
• Mississippi Vital Records charges $17 for a records search with one certified copy, and $6 for each extra copy ordered at the same time.³
• If Mississippi Vital Records cannot find the marriage in its five-year search, it refunds only the fees paid for extra copies.³
• The state file covers Mississippi marriages from January 1, 1926 to June 30, 1938 and from January 1, 1942 on.⁵
• The Circuit Clerk of the county that issued the license is the other Mississippi source, since not every marriage reaches the state Office of Vital Records.⁵

Driver's license

• To change the name on a Mississippi driver license or ID card, the Driver Service Bureau accepts only a marriage license, divorce decree, adoption order or court order.¹
• The Mississippi Driver Service Bureau does not require the Social Security card to show the new name at the first transaction, but strongly encourages updating it before renewing.¹
• The Mississippi Driver Service Bureau charges $11.00 for a duplicate driver license or ID card.²
• A Mississippi duplicate picked up in person at a Driver Service Bureau station comes with a new photograph and a duplicate application.²

Voter registration

• Mississippi’s mail-in voter registration form also serves to change the name on an existing registration.⁸
• A Mississippi voter registration form must be postmarked or hand delivered to the Circuit Clerk of the county of residence at least 30 days before an election.⁸
• Updating a Mississippi registration online requires an existing registration and a current Mississippi driver license or photo ID card from the Department of Public Safety.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.⁷
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹⁴

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.⁷

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.⁷
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.⁷

• 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 Mississippi 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.