Do You Need a New Passport If You Get Married?

Getting married does not, by itself, require a new passport. You only need to update your passport if you legally change your name after the wedding. Keep your birth name and your current passport keeps working until it expires. Take your spouse’s name, hyphenate, or adopt a new name through the marriage certificate or a court order, and the passport eventually has to match.

The Department of State treats a marriage certificate as documentation of a legal name change, but does not require you to change your name because you got married.¹ And U.S. Customs and Border Protection says citizens who have changed their name can still travel on a passport in the prior name, as long as they carry proof of the name progression like a marriage certificate.² So the passport is not urgent the way people sometimes assume. That said, mismatched names across your passport, tickets, and other ID create friction at every checkpoint, and most people update sooner rather than later.

Update Social Security Before the Passport

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 you’ll need proof of identity and evidence of the name change itself.³ Doing this first avoids a mismatch when the State Department processes your passport application.

Which Form You Use

The right form depends on how recently your passport was issued and how recently you changed your name.⁴

Form DS-5504: Free, if You Qualify

If your passport was issued less than one year ago and your name was legally changed less than one year ago, use Form DS-5504. There’s no application fee. Expedited service costs an extra $60.⁴ Both conditions have to be met. A passport issued 11 months ago combined with a name change 14 months ago does not qualify.

Form DS-82: Renewal by Mail

Past the one-year window, you renew instead. Most people can use Form DS-82 by mail if their most recent passport is undamaged, in their possession (not lost or stolen), was issued within the last 15 years, and was issued when they were 16 or older.⁵ The renewal fee is $130 for a passport book.⁶

Form DS-11: In Person

If your passport doesn’t meet the DS-82 criteria, say it was issued when you were 14 or has been lost, apply in person on Form DS-11 at a passport acceptance facility like a post office, library, or local government office. Don’t sign the form beforehand; the acceptance agent witnesses your signature and administers an oath.⁷ DS-11 costs $130 plus a $35 acceptance fee, totaling $165.⁶

One important boundary: the online renewal system does not accept name changes. It’s only available if you are keeping the same personal information on your passport.⁸ A name change means mail or in person.

What to Send

The core package is similar across forms:

Your most recent U.S. passport. It’s returned separately after processing.
An original or certified copy of your marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order. Photocopies are not accepted.¹
One 2×2 inch color passport photo with a white or off-white background. No glasses.
Payment by check (personal, certified, or cashier’s) or money order payable to “U.S. Department of State” for mail applications.⁶

DS-11 applicants also need evidence of U.S. citizenship, a valid government-issued photo ID, and photocopies of both.⁷

How Long It Takes

Routine processing runs 4 to 6 weeks. Expedited service, which costs an additional $60, cuts that to 2 to 3 weeks. Neither figure includes mailing time, which the State Department estimates can add up to two weeks in each direction.⁹ Plan against the full door-to-door timeline, not the processing window alone.

Traveling While You Wait

Once you mail your old passport in with the application, it’s gone for weeks. If you have international travel coming up, wait until after the trip to apply, or budget for expedited service.

If you’ve already changed your name legally but haven’t updated the passport yet, book flights in the name that matches your current passport. Airlines and border officials expect the ticket name to match the travel document. CBP allows travel on a passport in your prior name if you carry your marriage certificate, but airlines set their own name-matching policies, and check-in is not a good place to work that out.²

If You Need It Faster

If your international trip is within the next few weeks, standard expedited mail may not be enough. Two faster paths exist:

Urgent travel: appointments at a passport agency or center can be scheduled within 14 calendar days of international travel, or 28 days if you need a foreign visa. Availability is not guaranteed.¹⁰
Life-or-death emergency: for departures within 14 days when an immediate family member abroad has died, is dying, or has a life-threatening illness, emergency service is available with documentation such as a death certificate or a signed doctor’s letter on hospital letterhead.¹¹

Already mailed your application and your travel plans changed? Call 1-877-487-2778 to ask about expediting it.

Update Your Trusted Traveler Programs Too

A new passport in a new name has knock-on effects. Global Entry members must visit an enrollment center in person to update their name; online and phone updates aren’t enough.¹² TSA PreCheck members need to contact their original enrollment provider; until the name in the PreCheck system matches your new passport and boarding pass, PreCheck won’t appear at screening.¹³ Update your driver’s license as well, so every ID reflects the same legal name.

1
Department of State. 8 FAM 403.1 Name Usage and Name Changes
2
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. US Citizens/Lawful Permanent Residents Name Does Not Match
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Social Security Administration. How Do I Change or Correct My Name on My Social Security Number Card?
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U.S. Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
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U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
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U.S. Department of State (Travel.State.Gov). Passport Fees
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U.S. Department of State. Apply for Your Adult Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online
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U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
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U.S. Department of State. 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. Customs and Border Protection. Global Entry Frequently Asked Questions
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Transportation Security Administration. My Personal Information Has Changed. How Do I Update My Information So That I Can Continue to Receive TSA PreCheck?