Name change after marriage in Ohio

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Marriage certificate

• The Ohio Department of Health’s Bureau of Vital Statistics does not keep marriage records; certified copies come only from the county where the marriage was recorded.⁶
• In Ohio, copies of a marriage certificate are issued by the probate court of the county involved, and each probate court posts its own contact details online.⁶

Driver's license

• The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles requires a duplicate license, bought at a deputy registrar license agency, whenever the name or other information on the card has to change.¹
• Ohio’s online license reprint is limited to cards on which no information, such as the name or address, needs updating.¹
• An Ohio duplicate license keeps the expiration date of the card it replaces.¹
• Ohio drivers under 21 cannot get a duplicate license during the 30 days before their 21st birthday.¹
• The Ohio BMV fee table lists $29.00 for a duplicate operator license.²
• Ohio waives the duplicate license fee for a veteran with a 100 percent documented disability.²
• To link a birth certificate or passport to a married name, the Ohio BMV accepts an original or certified copy of the marriage certificate or marriage license.³
• Ohio drivers who have married more than once may need papers from each marriage and divorce to tie their birth record to their current legal name.³
• Ohio’s license application, Form BMV 5745, must be signed in front of the employee who processes it.⁴

Voter registration

• Ohio voters can put a new name on an existing registration with the state’s mail-in form; to count for an election, it must be postmarked 30 days before Election Day.⁸
• Ohio takes in-person voter registration updates at election offices and at the state motor vehicles office, with a deadline of 30 days before Election Day.⁸
• The Ohio Secretary of State’s online voter registration system describes two uses: registering to vote in Ohio and updating the address on a voter registration.⁹
• Ohio’s online voter registration asks for an Ohio driver license or state ID card number, name, date of birth, address and the last four digits of the Social Security number.⁹
• The Ohio Secretary of State says a voter registration update filed after the deadline takes effect for the next election instead.⁹

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.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.¹²
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹⁴
• 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.¹⁴
• 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.¹⁴
• 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.¹⁵

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.¹²

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.¹²
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.¹²

• 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 Ohio 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.