Name change checklist after marriage or divorce
Change your name in order: first get certified copies of the marriage certificate or divorce decree, then update your social security record, then your driver's license or state ID, then your passport. After that, update banks, credit cards, your employer and payroll, insurance, voter registration, utilities, your lease and online accounts. Keep a list and tick each one off.
Why it matters: The order matters, because each office wants proof from the one before.
Steps
- Order several certified copies of your marriage certificate or divorce decree showing the name change.
- Update your name with the social security office first.
- Update your driver's license or state ID next, bringing the documents your state lists.
- Update your passport using the form that fits your situation.
- Update your employer and payroll, banks, credit cards and retirement accounts.
- Update insurance, your doctor's office, voter registration, your lease, utilities and subscriptions.
- Update email, travel loyalty and online accounts, and book travel in the name on your passport.
- Tick each item off on a printed list.
Stop and call a professional if
- your name change is not covered by a marriage or divorce document: you may need a court order, and a local lawyer or the court clerk can explain the process
Common mistakes
- Booking travel in a new name before the passport matches.
- Starting with the bank before the government ID is updated.
- Ordering only one certified copy.
Outside the US or in another state: Rules for wills, proxies, beneficiaries, name changes and divorce are set by each US state; outside the US they differ again, so check with a local lawyer or official service.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: Name change checklist after marriage or divorce
What to say
Change your name in order: first get certified copies of the marriage certificate or divorce decree, then update your social security record, then your driver's license or state ID, then your passport. After that, update banks, credit cards, your employer and payroll, insurance, voter registration, utilities, your lease and online accounts. Keep a list and tick each one off.
What to show
- Order several certified copies of your marriage certificate or divorce decree showing the name change.
- Update your name with the social security office first.
- Update your driver's license or state ID next, bringing the documents your state lists.
- Update your passport using the form that fits your situation.
- Update your employer and payroll, banks, credit cards and retirement accounts.
- Update insurance, your doctor's office, voter registration, your lease, utilities and subscriptions.
- Update email, travel loyalty and online accounts, and book travel in the name on your passport.
- Tick each item off on a printed list.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if your name change is not covered by a marriage or divorce document: you may need a court order, and a local lawyer or the court clerk can explain the process.
Check question
What do you need before any office will change your name?
Answer: Certified copies of the marriage or divorce document. Offices need legal proof of the change.
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Sources
- US federal and state vital records guidance on legal name changes, 2026. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .