Name change after marriage in Virginia

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Marriage certificate

• Starting July 1, 2026, the Virginia Department of Health charges $15 for each certified copy of a vital record, a marriage certificate included, and the same $15 for a search that finds nothing.⁵
• Every Virginia DMV customer service center sells certified copies of Virginia marriage certificates.⁷
• Ordering a vital record at a Virginia DMV office costs a $17 search fee, owed even when the DMV cannot locate the record.⁷
• An eligible customer leaves the Virginia DMV with the certificate in hand; a record the DMV cannot find or print goes to the Department of Health for research.⁷
• At a Virginia DMV office, a marriage certificate is requested on the Virginia Vital Record Application, form DL 82.⁷
• The VDH Office of Vital Records keeps Virginia marriage records from 1853 to the present.⁸
• Virginia marriage records can also be obtained from the circuit court of the place where the marriage took place.⁸
• Virginia releases vital records only to immediate family with valid ID, and a current spouse is on that list.⁸

Driver's license

• The Virginia DMV requires the name change to be processed with the Social Security Administration before the DMV visit.¹
• A Virginia name change can be started online, and the confirmation email it produces is brought to a DMV customer service center to finish it.¹
• A Virginia license holder who changes names surrenders the current card at the DMV, sits for a new photo and gives an updated signature.¹
• The Virginia DMV accepts a marriage certificate or civil union document filed with a government agency or court as proof of a married name.¹
• The Virginia DMV asks for certified name-change documents from anyone whose married last name differs from the one on the birth certificate or identity document.¹
• Someone who has changed names more than once may need a separate document for each change so the Virginia DMV can follow the full name history.¹
• The Virginia DMV asks for original documents, which it verifies, and does not accept copies.²
• Virginia drivers who hold a license get a replacement driver license once the DMV has processed the name change.²
• A replacement Virginia driver license costs $20, with a one-time $10 added for a REAL ID.³
• The Virginia DMV mails every replacement license, whether it was ordered online or at a customer service center.³
• Virginia does not let drivers order a replacement license online when the name on it has to change.³

Voter registration

• Virginia law requires a registered voter whose legal name changes by marriage to promptly notify the general registrar where the voter is registered.⁹
• Under Virginia law the general registrar records the new name and sends the voter a new voter registration card.⁹
• The Virginia Department of Elections lists its online registration portal, a DMV notification and the Voter Registration Application as ways to change the name on a voter record.¹⁰
• A Virginia voter can also write to the voter registration office of the city or county of residence, with a signature and enough information to identify the voter, such as a Social Security number.¹⁰
• At a Virginia DMV customer service center or online, an eligible U.S. citizen is offered an electronic voter application that updates voter registration information unless the customer declines.¹¹
• The Virginia DMV passes voter answers on to the Department of Elections, but only a local voter registrar can change voter information.¹¹

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.¹²
• People who cannot use Social Security’s online services fill in the paper Form SS-5 and show the required documents.¹³

Passport

• USAGov says to report a name change to the U.S. Department of State as soon as possible to get an updated passport.¹⁴
• 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.¹⁵
• 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.¹⁵
• 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.¹⁶
• 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.¹⁶
• 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.¹⁶
• 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.¹⁷

Voter registration

• A voter registration can be updated online through vote.gov or by mail with the National Mail Voter Registration Form.¹⁴

Agencies

• USAGov advises telling Social Security early because other agencies learn of name changes through the SSA.¹⁴
• Every name on a federal tax return must match Social Security records.¹⁴

• 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 Virginia 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.