Name change after marriage in North Dakota

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Marriage certificate

• North Dakota Health and Human Services does not hand out certified marriage records: they are issued only by the county where the license was bought and filed.⁴
• North Dakota publishes no statewide price for a certified marriage record; each county sets its own, and the state lists county contacts instead.⁴

Driver's license

• The North Dakota Department of Transportation says anyone whose name changes must visit a driver license site and buy a corrected license within 10 days.¹
• Section 39-06-20 of the North Dakota Century Code covers a name changed by marriage and sets a ten-day window to notify the state, in writing or in person.²
• Under North Dakota law, an address change can be handled with a corrected card, but a new name calls for a new license.²
• A North Dakota driver who is not renewing pays $3.00 to put a new name on the license and has a fresh photo taken.¹
• Section 39-06-49 of the North Dakota Century Code prices a substitute license at $8, or $3 when it fixes a name or address.²
• North Dakota driver license sites want certified proof of the change, such as the marriage certificate, carried in by the driver.¹
• For a North Dakota license, the marriage certificate must be government-issued, while court orders and divorce decrees must be certified and sealed.¹
• North Dakota REAL ID holders do not re-prove identity at later visits, except that a name change still has to be documented.¹

Voter registration

• North Dakota does not register voters at all; what it requires at the polls is a valid form of identification.⁶
• The North Dakota Secretary of State accepts four kinds of voter ID: a state driver’s license, a non-driver ID, a tribal ID or letter, and a long-term care certificate.⁶
• Physical regular and REAL ID cards from the North Dakota Department of Transportation work for voting; its digital IDs do not.⁷
• A North Dakota non-driver ID costs nothing when it is requested for voting.⁷
• A North Dakota voter without an updated ID can cast a set-aside ballot and then has 13 days after the election to update or present a valid ID.⁷

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.⁸
• People who cannot use Social Security’s online services fill in the paper Form SS-5 and show the required documents.⁹

Passport

• USAGov says to report a name change to the U.S. Department of State as soon as possible to get an updated passport.¹⁰
• 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.¹¹
• 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.¹¹
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹³

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.¹⁰

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.¹⁰
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.¹⁰

• 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 Dakota 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.