Name change after marriage in Wisconsin

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Marriage certificate

• The Wisconsin Vital Records Office charges $20 for the first copy of a record and $3 for each extra copy of the same record.⁵
• Wisconsin marriage records from October 1907 on are sold by the state Vital Records Office and also by county Register of Deeds offices.⁵
• A mailed order to the Wisconsin Vital Records Office takes about 10 business days once received, not counting mail time each way.⁵
• An uncertified Wisconsin copy is stamped as unusable for legal or identification purposes, so a name change needs the certified version.⁵

Driver's license

• The Wisconsin DMV asks drivers to change their name with Social Security first and allow 48 hours so the DMV can verify the new name.¹
• In Wisconsin the new card is requested at a DMV customer service center with Form MV3001, and the current license is surrendered.¹
• A Wisconsin driver must hand in the current license when asking for a name change.¹
• The Wisconsin DMV receipt counts as identification until the new card arrives by mail within 7-10 business days.¹
• Wisconsin accepts a certified marriage certificate, a certified divorce record, a certified court order or a valid U.S. passport in the current name as proof of a name change.²
• For a Wisconsin REAL ID without a valid passport in the current name, every name change since birth has to be documented.²
• The Wisconsin DMV fee table lists $14 for a duplicate regular driver license.³
• Wisconsin’s online duplicate service cannot change a name: a new name means applying in person.⁴
• A name change on a Wisconsin license also changes the DMV base record, and a corrected vehicle title or registration is optional.¹

Voter registration

• MyVote Wisconsin says a voter who legally changed names updates the record by submitting a new voter registration.⁸
• To find an existing Wisconsin voter record after a name change, MyVote may need the prior name.⁸
• Wisconsin takes online and mailed registrations up to 20 days before an election; registering online at MyVote needs a valid Wisconsin driver license or state ID card.⁹
• For Wisconsin voter registration, a license or state ID only counts as proof of residence if it shows the voter’s current name and address.⁹

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.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 Wisconsin 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.