Name change after marriage in New Jersey

Tick the steps as you go: the checklist is saved in this browser only.

Marriage certificate

• The New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics and Registry charges $25 for the record search and one certified copy, and $2 for each extra copy of the same record ordered together.⁶
• In New Jersey only the certified copy, printed on state safety paper with a raised seal, counts as a legal document that can establish identity.⁸
• A New Jersey certification is a plain-paper copy without a seal that states it is not valid for identity or legal purposes.⁸
• New Jersey Vital Statistics names a missing proof of relationship as the most common reason it rejects an application for a certified copy.⁶
• Copies bought from a New Jersey municipal vital records office cost whatever that municipality charges.⁶
• Walk-in requests for recent records at the New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics and Registry are usually done within 2 hours.⁶
• The New Jersey vital records walk-in center at 140 E. Front Street in Trenton stopped taking cash after June 18, 2026.⁹
• New Jersey Vital Statistics mails a vital record only to the address shown on the ID sent with the request, unless a notarized letter authorizes a different address.⁶
• Online orders placed with the New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics and Registry take 4 to 6 weeks to process, before delivery time.⁶

Driver's license

• The 2026 New Jersey Driver Manual gives a driver whose name changes by marriage two weeks to report it to the Motor Vehicle Commission, citing N.J.S.A. 39:3-9a.¹
• Any New Jersey MVC Licensing Center handles a name change without an appointment, as long as the driver brings the 6 Points of ID documents.²
• The New Jersey Driver Manual says a marriage or civil union certificate can prove a new last name only, not a change to a first or middle name.¹
• The New Jersey MVC wants every name-change document as an original or a certified copy carrying the municipal or state seal.²
• The New Jersey MVC fee table lists $11 for a change to, or a duplicate of, a basic auto driver license.³
• Since a 2020 security change, New Jersey MVC agencies no longer print licenses on the spot; the updated card is mailed.⁴
• The New Jersey MVC runs the Social Security number on each license application past the SSA for verification.¹
• A name-change document written in another language needs a translation from an approved translator before the New Jersey MVC accepts it.²

Voter registration

• The New Jersey voter registration application has a line for the former name of a voter who is making a name change.¹⁰
• New Jersey closes voter registration 21 days before each election.¹⁰
• A New Jersey County Commissioner of Registration tells the voter whether a registration application was accepted.¹⁰
• New Jersey’s online voter registration validates the applicant’s ID with the MVC and pulls the digitized signature stored there.¹¹

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.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.¹⁴
• 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.¹⁵
• 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.¹⁵
• 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.¹⁶
• 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.¹⁶
• 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.¹⁶
• 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.¹⁷

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.¹⁴

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.¹⁴
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.¹⁴

• 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 New Jersey 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.