Name change after marriage in North Carolina

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Marriage certificate

• NC Vital Records keeps North Carolina marriage certificates from 1962 to the present, and the Register of Deeds in the county where the wedding took place issues them too.⁷
• NC Vital Records charges a $24 search fee for each three-year period searched, and that fee includes one copy of the certificate when the record is found.⁵
• Each extra copy of the same certificate from NC Vital Records costs $15.⁵
• Remote orders for North Carolina certificates go through VitalChek, which adds a nonrefundable $13.95 processing fee.⁵
• NC Vital Records charges $15 more for expedited processing, and its expedited in-person service works by appointment only.⁵
• NC Vital Records lists an average processing time of 9 months for orders of marriage certificates from 1962 to the present.⁹
• When its processing times do not fit, NC Vital Records points people to the Register of Deeds in the county of the event for birth, death and marriage certificates.⁹
• The Guilford County Register of Deeds in North Carolina charges $10 for each certified copy of a marriage certificate.¹⁰
• NC Vital Records does not amend marriage certificates; changes go to the Register of Deeds in the county that issued the marriage license.⁷

Driver's license

• North Carolina requires a person whose name changes to notify the Division of Motor Vehicles within 60 days and get a duplicate license or ID card in the new name.¹
• NCDMV confirms a new name through the Social Security Online Verification System, and its name-change page asks drivers to visit Social Security at least 24 to 36 hours beforehand.¹
• For a license in a new name, NCDMV asks drivers to change their name with Social Security at least 24 hours ahead and then visit a driver license office with proof such as a marriage certificate.²
• A North Carolina license reissued for a name change keeps its expiration date and every other detail.²
• The NCDMV fee table lists a license or ID card replacement for a name change at $16.75.³
• NCDMV accepts name-change papers only when a government agency of the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory or Canada issued them.¹
• NCDMV driver license offices take appointments up to seven days ahead, and license plate agencies do not offer them.⁴
• To put a new name on a North Carolina vehicle title and registration, NCDMV uses the Corrected or Substitute Title Application, Form MVR-5.¹
• NCDMV charges $25.50 for a name change on a vehicle registration.¹

Voter registration

• The NCDMV online voter registration service cannot be used to change a North Carolina voter’s name.¹¹
• North Carolina voters update a name with the voter registration application or the change form on their voter card, signed and sent to the county board of elections.¹¹
• The North Carolina State Board of Elections does not require a wet-ink signature on an application that only updates a registration.¹¹
• A North Carolina voter registration application that updates a name can be faxed or emailed.¹²
• Changes to a North Carolina registration are due 25 days before Election Day; after that, changes other than party can be made when voting in person during early voting.¹¹
• Ordering a replacement license from NCDMV does not update a North Carolina voter registration.²
• After a change to a North Carolina voter record, the State Board of Elections says to allow two weeks for the new voter registration card to arrive.¹²
• North Carolina poll workers check that the name on a voter photo ID is the same as or very similar to the name in the voter registration record.¹³

Social Security

• The Social Security Administration recommends updating your Social Security record before you go to your state motor vehicle office.⁶
• Social Security suggests waiting until the state has recorded the marriage, which takes about 30 days in most cases.⁶
• For proof of identity, Social Security prefers a U.S. driver license and also accepts a state ID card or a U.S. passport.⁶
• Social Security treats a marriage certificate as the ideal proof of both the new legal name and the marriage.⁶
• Social Security accepts only original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency, never photocopies or notarized copies.⁶
• Social Security does not charge for a card with the new name.⁸
• Once Social Security completes the request, the replacement card arrives by mail in 5 to 10 business days.¹⁴
• People who cannot use Social Security’s online services fill in the paper Form SS-5 and show the required documents.¹⁵

Passport

• USAGov says to report a name change to the U.S. Department of State as soon as possible to get an updated passport.¹⁶
• 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.¹⁷
• 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.¹⁷
• 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.¹⁸
• 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.¹⁸
• 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.¹⁸
• 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.¹⁹

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.¹⁶

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.¹⁶
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.¹⁶

• 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 North Carolina 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.