Name change after marriage in South Carolina

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Marriage certificate

• The South Carolina Department of Public Health holds marriages from July 1950 through December 2023; for any other date it sends people to the probate court that issued the license.⁵
• By mail, South Carolina DPH charges a $12 search fee that includes one certified copy, plus $3 for each additional copy.⁵
• South Carolina DPH takes about four weeks, on average, to process a mailed request.⁵
• A mailed South Carolina request without a photocopy of a valid photo ID is rejected without processing.⁵
• South Carolina online orders through VitalChek carry a $17 expedited search fee and a $12.85 vendor charge, with $3 for each extra copy.⁵
• Online, a South Carolina marriage certificate can be ordered only by the people named on it, their adult children, or a present or former spouse.⁵
• South Carolina DPH is not taking walk-in requests for marriage certificates at the moment.⁵
• South Carolina DPH prices do not apply to copies obtained from the office of a county probate judge.⁵

Driver's license

• Section 56-1-230 of the South Carolina Code requires a driver whose name changes by marriage to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles in writing within ten days.¹
• The SCDMV requires the new name to be on file with the Social Security Administration at least 48 hours before the branch visit.²
• South Carolina name changes happen at an SCDMV branch with two forms: the Application for Name and/or Address Change (Form 4057) and the license application (Form 447-NC).²
• A South Carolina license in the new name costs $10, while a first REAL ID costs $25 because it counts as a renewal.²
• The SCDMV fee table lists $10 for a duplicate or modified license or ID.³
• The SCDMV allows one name change per marriage; switching later to another version of the married name takes a court order.²
• South Carolina law lets a marriage license change a middle name, a last name or both, once per marriage, and never a first name.¹
• As proof of a married name, South Carolina law accepts a marriage license signed by the officiant and by both spouses.¹
• A name change at the SCDMV carries over to every vehicle and driver record, and new registration cards are mailed.²

Voter registration

• South Carolina takes online voter updates only from holders of a state driver’s license or DMV ID card, and the DMV record has to be updated first.⁷
• The South Carolina change form can be mailed, faxed, or scanned and emailed to the county board of voter registration.⁷
• South Carolina’s voter change form has a name-change line beneath the name as registered.⁸
• South Carolina voters can also mail in the back of their voter registration card or fill out the change form at the county voter registration office.⁷
• On the same South Carolina form, the voter can ask the county board to mail a duplicate voter registration certificate.⁸

Social Security

• The Social Security Administration recommends updating your Social Security record before you go to your state motor vehicle office.⁴
• Social Security suggests waiting until the state has recorded the marriage, which takes about 30 days in most cases.⁴
• For proof of identity, Social Security prefers a U.S. driver license and also accepts a state ID card or a U.S. passport.⁴
• Social Security treats a marriage certificate as the ideal proof of both the new legal name and the marriage.⁴
• Social Security accepts only original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency, never photocopies or notarized copies.⁴
• Social Security does not charge for a card with the new name.⁶
• Once Social Security completes the request, the replacement card arrives by mail in 5 to 10 business days.⁹
• People who cannot use Social Security’s online services fill in the paper Form SS-5 and show the required documents.¹⁰

Passport

• USAGov says to report a name change to the U.S. Department of State as soon as possible to get an updated passport.¹¹
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹²
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹³
• 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.¹⁴

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.¹¹

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.¹¹
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.¹¹

• 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 South 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.