Name change after marriage in Pennsylvania

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Marriage certificate

• Pennsylvania marriage licenses issued since 1885 stay with the county that issued them, so copies come from that county’s Register of Wills or Clerk of the Orphans’ Court.⁷
• For a REAL ID, PennDOT accepts a marriage certificate only as a certified copy issued and certified by a county office such as the Orphans’ Court or the Register of Wills, never a photocopy.⁴
• For a REAL ID, PennDOT turns down the commemorative certificate signed by the officiant and the marriage license itself as proof of a marriage.⁴
• For a wedding held outside Pennsylvania, PennDOT says to request the certified copy from the county office that issued the marriage license.⁴

Driver's license

• Pennsylvania law gives a licensed driver 15 days after a name change to tell PennDOT the former and new names and the license number.¹
• Section 1515 of the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code requires the name-change notice to PennDOT to be in writing.¹
• PennDOT requires every name change on a Pennsylvania driver license to be made in person, with original documents.²
• Filed on Form DL-80, a name change on a non-commercial Pennsylvania license counts as a change or correction: no notary is needed and PennDOT issues an update card.²
• PennDOT charges no fee for a change or correction on Form DL-80; the update card it issues has to be carried together with the driver license.²
• PennDOT asks for the marriage certificate to put a spouse’s surname on a Pennsylvania license, a certified court order for a court-ordered name and a raised-seal birth certificate to return to a birth name.³
• When a maiden name becomes the middle name, PennDOT requires REAL ID documents that show a logical connection between the old and new names.⁴
• PennDOT’s fee for a duplicate or replacement non-commercial driver license is $42.50.⁵
• A Pennsylvania REAL ID holder whose name changes must surrender the card, sit for a new photo and pay the replacement fee for a REAL ID in the new name.⁴
• PennDOT tells REAL ID holders to change their name with the Social Security Administration before bringing the marriage certificate to a Driver License Center.⁴
• PennDOT Driver License Centers take debit or credit cards, checks and money orders, but not cash.⁵
• Non-U.S. citizens changing their name with PennDOT need primary identity documents in the new name, such as their latest Department of Homeland Security immigration papers; a marriage certificate alone does not work.³
• PennDOT reminds drivers who change their name that their vehicle registrations and titles need the new information too.³
• PennDOT records an owner’s name change after a marriage or divorce on a vehicle title at no fee when no new title is requested; a new title costs $72.⁵

Voter registration

• The Pennsylvania Department of State requires voters to update their registration after a name change, for example after marriage.⁹
• Pennsylvania voters can update a registration online, by mail or in person with the voter registration application, using the boxes under item 3 of the form.⁹
• A Pennsylvania name change filed more than 15 days before an election counts for that election; one filed later applies from the next election.⁹
• Pennsylvania voters who changed their name should bring identification showing the new name to the polling place.⁹
• PennDOT’s Form DL-80 also works as a request to update the voter registration unless the applicant ticks the opt-out box.²

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.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 Pennsylvania 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.