Name change after marriage in Tennessee

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Marriage certificate

• Tennessee Vital Records charges $15.00 for a certified marriage certificate, and every additional copy costs the same $15.00.³
• When Tennessee Vital Records cannot locate a marriage, it sends a letter certifying that no record was found, and that letter carries the same fee as a certified copy.³
• The Tennessee state office holds marriage records for the past 50 years; older ones sit with the county clerk who issued the license and may also be at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.⁶
• A mailed request to Tennessee Vital Records needs the signed application plus either a photocopy of a government ID bearing the requester’s signature or a notarized application.⁷
• Walk-in customers at Tennessee Vital Records in Nashville do not need an appointment to get a certified copy.⁷
• Tennessee Vital Records takes no online orders itself; VitalChek is the only vendor the state authorizes for card payments online, and it adds its own fees.⁷

Driver's license

• Tennessee requires a trip to a Driver Services Center to change a name, with the current license and an original or certified document showing why, such as a marriage certificate.¹
• Tennessee Driver Services charges a duplicate fee of $8 to $16 for a new name, set by how many duplicates the driver has already had and the type of license.¹
• Tennessee’s fee table prices a first duplicate of a non-commercial license at $8.00 ($6.00 plus a $2.00 application fee) and a second or later duplicate at $12.00.²
• County clerk offices that sell Tennessee licenses add a $4.00 administrative fee on top of the state fee.²
• Tennessee Driver Services advises updating the name at a Social Security office before the Driver Services Center visit.¹
• For a marriage, Tennessee wants a certified copy of the marriage certificate, issued by the county clerk or another authorized agency after the marriage was performed and recorded, showing the applicant’s full name.¹
• Tennessee Driver Services turns down the license that authorized the ceremony, a license application and any unrecorded or uncertified marriage certificate.¹

Voter registration

• A Tennessee voter who changed names can record the new one through the state’s online voter registration system.⁸
• The regular Tennessee voter registration application also works as a name change request.⁸
• A paper name update in Tennessee cannot be emailed: it is mailed or taken to the county election commission office and must arrive, signed, at least five days before the election.⁸
• Tennessee can purge a voter who goes 90 days or more without reporting a new name, but names changed by marriage are excluded from that rule.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.⁵
• 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 Tennessee 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.