If you took your spouse’s last name, hyphenated, or otherwise changed your legal name when you got married, updating your passport after marriage means filing one of three State Department forms, and which one you use depends on how recently your current passport was issued. The cost runs from nothing to $165. If you kept your pre-marriage name, your passport is fine as is.
Do You Actually Need to Update It?
Marriage alone does not trigger a passport requirement. Plenty of married people never change their legal name, and their passports stay valid.
If you did change your legal name, the passport has to catch up before your next international trip. The Transportation Security Administration requires the name on your airline reservation to match the name on your ID exactly.1Transportation Security Administration. Does the Name on My Airline Reservation Have to Match the Name on My Application A driver’s license and boarding pass in your married name paired with a passport in your maiden name is not something agents wave through.
Update Social Security Before You Apply
Report the name change to the Social Security Administration first. The SSA requires you to update your record after a legal name change from marriage, divorce, or court order, and the update is free.2Social Security Administration. How Do I Change or Correct My Name on My Social Security Number Card You will need proof of identity and documentation of the change; your marriage certificate covers the latter.
Doing this first matters because the State Department may check your name against SSA records. If those still show your maiden name when your passport application lands, processing can slow down. Work outward: Social Security, then state ID, then passport.
Which Form to File
Three forms cover passport name changes. Picking the wrong one gets your application bounced back.
DS-5504: Free If Everything Is Recent
You qualify for DS-5504 only if your most recent passport was issued less than a year ago and your name change also happened less than a year ago.3Travel.State.Gov. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error Both have to be true. Passport six months old and you married three months ago? You’re in. Passport three years old and you just married? You’re not.
The form itself is free. Expedited processing adds $60.3Travel.State.Gov. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error Mail it in with your current passport, a certified copy of your marriage certificate, and one passport photo.
DS-82: Renewal by Mail
Once you’re past the one-year window, DS-82 is the next option if your most recent passport was issued within the last 15 years, issued when you were 16 or older, is undamaged beyond normal wear, has not been reported lost or stolen, and is available to submit with the application.4Travel.State.Gov. Renew Your Passport by Mail
A passport book renewal costs $130, or $160 combined with a passport card.5Travel.State.Gov. Passport Fees Include a certified copy of your marriage certificate to document the name change.3Travel.State.Gov. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
One note about online renewal: the State Department does offer it for routine service, but its name change page directs applicants to mail-in or in-person channels only.3Travel.State.Gov. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error If your reason for renewing is a name change, plan on mail or in person.
DS-11: In Person
If your passport is more than 15 years old, was issued before you turned 16, has been reported lost or stolen, or is significantly damaged, you cannot renew by mail. You apply as a new applicant using Form DS-11 at a passport acceptance facility, usually a post office or public library.6USAGov. Apply for a New Adult Passport The book fee is $130 plus a $35 acceptance fee, for $165 total.5Travel.State.Gov. Passport Fees
Do not sign the form beforehand. The acceptance agent has to witness your signature.6USAGov. Apply for a New Adult Passport Bring evidence of U.S. citizenship, a valid photo ID with a photocopy, your marriage certificate, and a passport photo.
What You’ll Submit
Whichever form applies, you send in your current passport and a certified copy (or original) of your marriage certificate. Both are returned to you after processing, in a separate mailing from your new passport.
You also need one color 2×2 inch passport photo, taken within the last six months, against a plain white or off-white background, with a neutral expression and both eyes open.7Travel.State.Gov. U.S. Passport Photos Pharmacies and shipping stores handle this for around $15.
How Long It Takes
Standard processing runs four to six weeks. Expedited runs two to three weeks. Neither figure includes the time your application spends in the mail on the way in or your new passport spends in the mail on the way back.8Travel.State.Gov. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
Expedited service costs an extra $60 on any form. One-to-three-day return delivery of the finished passport is another $22.05.5Travel.State.Gov. Passport Fees If you have international travel within 14 calendar days, you can book an appointment at a passport agency for urgent processing, but you’ll need proof of the upcoming trip.8Travel.State.Gov. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
If a honeymoon or other international trip is on the calendar, start the name change well before departure. Two weeks out is when people end up scrambling for emergency appointments.
If You Have to Fly Before the New Passport Arrives
You can travel internationally while the update is processing, as long as your airline ticket is booked in the same name as the passport you’re carrying. The TSA rule is that your reservation name and your ID match exactly.1Transportation Security Administration. Does the Name on My Airline Reservation Have to Match the Name on My Application Carry your original marriage certificate in case anyone asks why your passport name differs from your other ID.
This is a workaround, not a plan. Once the new passport arrives, switch future bookings, frequent flyer profiles, and travel accounts over to your new legal name. Mismatches across those systems are a common cause of boarding delays and are easy to head off.