Yes. To change your name with the Social Security Administration after marriage, you need a certified copy of your marriage certificate, meaning a copy issued by the government office that recorded the marriage and bearing an official seal, stamp, or registrar’s signature. The SSA will not accept a photocopy, and it will not accept the decorative keepsake certificate you were handed at the ceremony. The name change itself costs nothing, and in 21 states you can complete the whole application online.
Certified Copy vs. the Keepsake Certificate
This is where people get stuck. The pretty document printed on heavy paper, often with calligraphy and signatures from the officiant and witnesses, is a keepsake. It has no legal weight with the SSA. A certified copy is a separate document issued by the county clerk or vital records office where your marriage was recorded, and it carries a raised seal, an ink stamp, or the registrar’s signature.1Social Security Administration. POMS RM 10212.055 – Evidence Required to Process a Name Change on the SSN Based on Marriage, Civil Union and Domestic Partnership
The SSA uses the term “marriage document” broadly to cover both a marriage license and a marriage certificate, so long as the copy is certified by the issuing office.2Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card What matters is the seal, not the label.
How to Get a Certified Copy
Contact the county clerk’s office or vital records office in the jurisdiction where your marriage took place. Depending on the office, you can request the copy in person, by mail, or online. You will typically need to provide both spouses’ full pre-marriage names, the date of the ceremony, and the location.
Fees vary by jurisdiction and generally fall between $10 and $35. Timing varies just as widely. Some counties will hand you a certified copy over the counter within minutes; mail requests can take several days to several weeks. If you need the copy quickly, ask whether the issuing office offers expedited processing for an added fee.
The Other Documents You’ll Need
Along with the certified marriage certificate, the SSA asks for proof of identity, and, if it isn’t already on file, proof of your citizenship or immigration status.
For identity, acceptable documents include a U.S. driver’s license, a state-issued ID card, or a U.S. passport. The identity document does not have to be current: the SSA will accept an expired driver’s license or passport in your old name when you’re applying for a name change.2Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card If you don’t have any identity document in your prior name, the SSA may accept an unexpired one in your new name, provided they can match you in their records.
For citizenship or immigration status, a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, or Certificate of Naturalization works for citizens. Lawful permanent residents can use a Permanent Resident Card.2Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card All documents must be originals or certified copies.
Wait About 30 Days After the Wedding
Even if you have a certified copy in hand the week of your wedding, hold off on applying. The SSA recommends waiting at least 30 days after the marriage date to give state vital records systems time to update. The SSA may verify your marriage record against those databases, and filing too early can trigger a verification delay that a short wait would have avoided.3Social Security Administration. Just Married? Need to Change Your Name?
There is no federal deadline for making the change. You can update your record a month after the wedding or years later. The costs of delay show up elsewhere, in tax filings and employment records, which is covered below.
How to Apply
You’ll complete Form SS-5, the Application for a Social Security Card, available on the SSA’s website or at any local office.4Social Security Administration. Application for Social Security Card Form SS-5 There are three ways to submit it.
Online in 21 States
If you were married in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Wisconsin, or Wyoming, you may be able to complete the whole process through the SSA’s online portal. Have your marriage certificate and identity document available during the application.3Social Security Administration. Just Married? Need to Change Your Name?
In Person
Bring your completed Form SS-5 and your original or certified documents to your local Social Security office. Staff will verify the documents on the spot and return them to you the same visit, so you never have to mail the certified marriage certificate anywhere. You can schedule an appointment through the SSA’s website or by calling 1-800-772-1213.2Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
By Mail
You can mail Form SS-5 with your original or certified documents to your local Social Security office, and the SSA will return them by mail after processing.4Social Security Administration. Application for Social Security Card Form SS-5 This means parting with your marriage certificate and your identity document for the duration of processing plus return mail, which is why most people prefer to apply in person if online is not available in their state.
Cost, Timing, and Card Limits
The SSA does not charge for a new or replacement Social Security card, including one issued for a name change.5Social Security Administration. Replace Social Security Card Expect the new card within about 14 days after the SSA has everything it needs. Form SS-5 instructs you to list an address where you can receive mail 10 to 14 days from the application date.4Social Security Administration. Application for Social Security Card Form SS-5
Federal regulations cap replacement cards at three per year and ten per lifetime, but a legal name change is treated as a compelling circumstance and does not count toward either limit.6Social Security Administration. Code of Federal Regulations 422-0103
If You Married Outside the United States
Foreign marriage certificates are accepted, with extra steps. The document must be a civil or church record issued under the laws of the country where the marriage took place, and it must identify both spouses.7Social Security Administration. POMS GN 00305.020 – Preferred Proof of Ceremonial Marriage
If the certificate is not in English, the SSA needs a translation that includes the type of document, the complete name and address of the issuing agency (including the country), the issue date, and the title of the official who signed it.8Social Security Administration. POMS GN 00301.430 – Items Included in the Translation of Most Documents The SSA has its own translators for some languages. Foreign evidence generally takes longer to process, so applying in person at a local office is often the cleanest route.
What Name Options the Certificate Supports
The SSA will process any new name that can be derived from your marriage document. That includes taking your spouse’s surname, taking one part of a compound surname, or hyphenating both surnames. Both spouses can change names, not just one. If the marriage document itself specifies a particular new name, the SSA will issue the card in that name.1Social Security Administration. POMS RM 10212.055 – Evidence Required to Process a Name Change on the SSN Based on Marriage, Civil Union and Domestic Partnership
A name that can’t be derived from the certificate, such as a brand-new first name, will generally require a separate court order. The marriage document alone won’t cover it.
Do the SSA First, Then Everything Else
Update your Social Security record before you touch your driver’s license, passport, or bank accounts. Most state DMVs check with the SSA when you apply for a new license or ID, and a mismatch will hold up the application. The clean order is: marriage certificate, then Social Security card, then driver’s license and the rest.
Skipping the SSA update creates real problems at tax time and at work. The IRS matches the name and Social Security number on your return against SSA records, and a mismatch causes an electronically filed return to be rejected. Until your SSA record is updated, the IRS instructs you to file under the name the SSA still has on record.9Internal Revenue Service. Name Changes and Social Security Number Matching Issues Your employer reports wages to the SSA under the name on your W-2, and a mismatch triggers a correction notice that you and your employer then have to sort out.10Social Security Administration. Questions Employers Ask for the Employer Correction Request Notice The simplest fix is to update the SSA record first, then hand your employer the new name so future W-2s match from the start.