Marriage Certificate for Passport: Forms DS-11, DS-82, and DS-5504

To change the name on your U.S. passport after getting married, you need a certified copy of your marriage certificate from the government office that recorded the marriage, submitted with a paper application. A marriage certificate for a passport has to be the official vital records version with a seal, not the decorative one from the ceremony, and the form you file depends on how old your current passport is and how recently you married.

What Counts as a Certified Marriage Certificate

The State Department requires an original or certified copy of the marriage record issued by a government vital records office, typically the county clerk or state registrar where the marriage was recorded.¹ A certified copy shows a seal from the issuing authority and the signature of the officiant or judge.² Photocopies don’t qualify, and neither does the souvenir certificate handed out at the venue.

If you only have the ceremonial version, contact the vital records office in the county or state where you were married and request a certified copy. Fees generally run $10 to $35 depending on the jurisdiction, and many offices take requests online or by mail.

Which Form You File

Three forms cover a marriage name change. Choosing the wrong one can cost weeks.

DS-5504: Passport Issued Less Than a Year Ago

Use Form DS-5504 if your current passport was issued less than one year ago and your name changed within one year of that issue date. Both conditions have to be true.² There is no application fee. Expedited processing is optional and costs $60.³

DS-82: Renewal by Mail

If more than a year has passed since your passport was issued or since your name changed, you renew. Form DS-82 works by mail if your most recent passport was issued within the last 15 years, was issued when you were 16 or older, is undamaged, and hasn’t been reported lost or stolen.⁴ You include the certified marriage certificate in the envelope.

DS-11: In Person

First-time applicants, anyone whose passport was lost, stolen, or damaged, and anyone whose passport was issued more than 15 years ago file Form DS-11 in person at a passport acceptance facility, typically a post office, library, or county clerk office.⁵ Bring the marriage certificate along with your other documents; your identity is verified face to face.⁶

Online Renewal Is Not an Option

The State Department’s online renewal service excludes anyone changing personal information such as name or sex.⁷ A marriage name change has to go through the paper process on DS-5504, DS-82, or DS-11.

What to Send or Bring

For a mailed DS-5504 or DS-82, put the signed form, your current passport, a recent passport photo, the original certified marriage certificate, and payment in one envelope. The State Department recommends a trackable delivery method. Pay by check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State,” with the applicant’s name and date of birth on the memo line.⁸

For DS-11 in person, bring the same materials but don’t sign the form ahead of time. The acceptance agent has to witness the signature. Bring a valid photo ID and a photocopy of both your ID and your citizenship evidence. The $130 application fee goes to the State Department; the $35 acceptance fee is paid separately to the facility, which may take other payment methods.⁸

If You Were Married Outside the United States

A foreign marriage record still has to be the official government-issued version, not a religious or ceremonial certificate. Some countries issue marriage records through a civil registry rather than a local clerk, so the process for obtaining a certified copy varies.

If the document is in another language, submit the original along with a full English translation. The translation needs a signed certification statement from the translator confirming accuracy and competence. Machine-generated translations without human review don’t meet the standard. Translate every visible element, including stamps and seals.

If You’ve Changed Your Name More Than Once

When your name has changed more than once, such as a prior marriage, a divorce that restored your earlier name, and a remarriage, document the full chain. Submit each name-change document in sequence as an original or certified copy: the first marriage certificate, the divorce decree, the second marriage certificate.

If you can’t produce legal documentation for one of the intermediate changes, the State Department may require Form DS-60 (Affidavit Regarding a Change of Name), completed by two people who have known you by both names, plus three or more certified or original public records showing you used the name for an extended period.¹ Keeping certified copies of every name-change document avoids that slower path.

Fees and How Long It Takes

DS-5504: no application fee; $60 for expedited service.³
DS-82: $130 for a passport book; $60 for expedited service.⁸
DS-11: $130 application fee plus a $35 acceptance fee at the facility, for $165 total.⁸

Routine processing runs four to six weeks; expedited processing runs two to three weeks.⁹ Those windows cover the time your application sits at a passport agency. Add up to two weeks each way for mailing. A routine application can take roughly ten weeks from the day you drop it in the mail, so expedited service is worth $60 if you have travel booked within about six weeks.¹⁰

Getting Your Marriage Certificate Back

Your original documents come back in a separate mailing from the new passport, often arriving a few days apart.¹¹ If the certificate hasn’t arrived within a few weeks of the passport, call the State Department at 877-487-2778.

1
U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Application for a U.S. Passport for Eligible Individuals – DS-5504
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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. Application for a U.S. Passport – DS-11
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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. 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. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast
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U.S. Department of State. After You Get Your New Passport