Do I Have to Change My Name on a Passport After Marriage?

You don’t have to change the name on your passport after marriage. A U.S. passport stays valid until it expires, even if it still shows your maiden name, and the Department of State sets no deadline for updating it.¹ The reason most newly married travelers update anyway is practical: once your driver’s license, credit cards, and airline reservations start showing your married name, a passport in a different name creates trouble every time you fly.

Why a Name Mismatch Causes Problems at the Airport

TSA’s Secure Flight program requires the name on your airline reservation to exactly match the name on the ID you present at the checkpoint.² If your identity cannot be verified, you won’t be allowed through security. So if you book a ticket in your married name but carry a passport in your maiden name, you’re setting yourself up for delay or denial.

The safest approach until you update: book every ticket using the exact name printed in your current passport, whichever name that is. A valid U.S. passport is accepted at TSA checkpoints and satisfies the REAL ID requirement that took effect on May 7, 2025, so it also works as a domestic ID backup if your driver’s license isn’t REAL ID-compliant.³

Update Your Social Security Record Before You Apply

Federal law requires you to include your Social Security number on the passport application. Leaving it off, or providing information that doesn’t match federal records, can delay processing, cause a denial, and trigger a $500 IRS penalty.⁴ Get your new name on file with the Social Security Administration first, then apply for the passport.

To update your Social Security card, bring an original or agency-certified marriage certificate to a local SSA office. Photocopies and notarized copies won’t be accepted.⁵ If more than two years have passed since your name change, you may also need an identity document in your prior name. The update is free.

Which Form You Use Depends on Timing

The Department of State handles marriage name changes through three different forms. The right one depends on when your passport was issued and when your name changed.¹

Form DS-5504 (Free, Within One Year)

Use DS-5504 if less than one year has passed since both your passport was issued and your name was legally changed. There’s no application fee.⁶ Mail in the form with your most recent passport, an original or certified marriage certificate, and one passport photo.¹ Watch the “both” requirement. A six-month-old passport doesn’t qualify if you got married two years ago.

Form DS-82 (Renewal by Mail)

If more than a year has passed since either your passport was issued or your name changed, you’ll typically renew by mail using DS-82. You qualify if your most recent passport is undamaged, was issued when you were 16 or older, and was issued within the last 15 years.⁷ Send the form, your current passport, an original or certified marriage certificate, one photo, and the fee.

Form DS-11 (In Person)

You must apply in person on Form DS-11 if your most recent passport was issued more than 15 years ago, was issued when you were under 16, or is lost, stolen, or damaged.⁸ Bring proof of U.S. citizenship, a valid photo ID, your marriage certificate, and one photo to a passport acceptance facility.

What to Include With Your Application

Every application, regardless of form, requires an original or certified copy of your marriage certificate showing the official seal of the issuing office. Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.¹ Certified copies usually cost between $5 and $45 from the county or state office that issued the record. Ordering an extra copy is worth it, since your original will be in the mail for weeks.

Passport photos must be color, taken within the last six months, sized 2 × 2 inches, and printed on photo-quality paper. Take off eyeglasses, sunglasses, hats, and head coverings. A signed statement is required if you wear a head covering daily for religious reasons; a doctor’s note is required if glasses or a head covering are medically necessary.⁹

A complete mail-in package (DS-5504 or DS-82) includes:

The completed application form
Your most recent U.S. passport
An original or certified marriage certificate
One recent color passport photo (2 × 2 inches)
A check or money order for any required fees

Use a traceable mailing method like USPS Priority Mail with tracking. You’re sending your current passport and an original legal document, so the confirmation is worth the small extra cost. Your marriage certificate comes back in a separate mailing after processing finishes, so expect two packages.

Fees and How Long It Takes

Routine processing runs about four to six weeks.¹⁰ Paying an additional $60 for expedited service cuts that to roughly two to three weeks.⁶ Those windows cover only the time your application sits at a passport agency. The State Department estimates up to two weeks for your application to arrive and up to two weeks for your finished passport to come back, so plan for a total of roughly eight to ten weeks on routine service.

Fees by form:

DS-5504 (name change within one year): no application fee⁶
DS-82 passport book renewal: $130⁷
DS-82 passport card renewal: $30⁶
DS-11 passport book (in person): $130 application fee plus a $35 facility fee⁸
Expedited processing (any form): additional $60⁶

A passport card is valid only for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. It can’t be used for international air travel.

You can check application status online, but expect up to two weeks after you apply before status shows as “In Process,” because the packet moves through a mail-sorting facility and payment processing before reaching a specialist.¹¹

If You Have a Trip Coming Up Soon

If international travel is within two to three weeks, you can book an appointment at a regional passport agency for urgent processing. Appointments open once you’re within 14 calendar days of departure, or 28 days if you also need a foreign visa.¹² If you already mailed your application and now need it faster, call 1-877-487-2778 to request expedited handling.

A separate life-or-death emergency service is available when a serious illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member abroad forces travel within days. You’ll need documentation of the emergency, such as a hospital letter on official letterhead signed by a doctor, a death certificate, or a statement from a mortuary, along with proof of international travel within two weeks.¹³

Valid Foreign Visas in Your Old Passport

A valid foreign visa in an expired or replaced passport can still be used, provided you carry both passports together, both are from the same country, and the visa is undamaged and appropriate for your purpose of travel. The Department of State recommends applying for a new visa in your married name to make future trips smoother. Never remove a visa from your old passport to move it to the new one; doing so invalidates the visa.¹⁴

Global Entry and TSA PreCheck

Global Entry members must visit an enrollment center in person to update a name; the change can’t be done online.¹⁵ Because Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck, updating your Global Entry profile updates your PreCheck screening as well. The name on your trusted-traveler account, your passport, and your airline reservation all need to match.

Reverting to a Prior Name After Divorce

The same process applies if you’re going back to a prior name after divorce. A certified divorce decree that shows the restored name works as your legal name-change document in place of a marriage certificate, and you’d use DS-5504, DS-82, or DS-11 based on the same timing and eligibility rules.¹

1
U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport
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Transportation Security Administration. Does the Name on My Airline Reservation Have to Match the Name on My Application
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Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
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U.S. Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions about Passport Services
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Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
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Travel.State.Gov. Passport Fees
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U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
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U.S. Department of State. Apply for Your Adult Passport
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
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State.gov. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
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U.S. Department of State. Checking Your Application Status
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Travel.State.Gov. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast
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U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport if You Have a Life-or-Death Emergency
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U.S. Department of State. About Visas – The Basics
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions