The Complete Name Change Checklist

Changing your name is a deeply personal journey, often tied to significant life changes or a desire to better reflect your true identity. While changing your name can be an exciting step in your personal journey, it can also be an overwhelming process, involving numerous steps to ensure every important document and account reflects your new identity. 

The myriad of places where your name needs updating—from your driver's license to your bank accounts—can feel daunting. Following a comprehensive name change checklist can make this journey much more manageable.

This article will guide you through the essential steps to legally change your name, offering a clear path to help you smoothly transition to your new name, ensuring nothing is overlooked. With a well-organized approach, you can embrace your new identity with confidence and ease.

Documentation you need to start the name change process

Before you get started following this name change checklist, you’ll need one very important document: Your legal name change document.

A name change document is a legal document stating you’ve changed your name. Depending on why you’re changing your name, you’ll need a different document to get this process started.

If you’ve:

• Gotten married, you need your marriage certificate
• Gotten divorced, you need your divorce decree
• Changed your name for any other purpose, you need a court-approved name change form

If you’ve recently gotten married

If you’re changing your name due to marriage, you’ll need proof of your status and name change. This is easily fulfilled by a certified copy of your marriage certificate.

It’s important to note that a marriage certificate is different from your marriage license. A marriage license is received prior to your wedding and acts as an application to get married. Once that is filed, you’ll be granted a marriage certificate proving you’ve gotten married. This will likely arrive in the mail a few weeks after your marriage license is filed with your county.

During the name change process, many places will need to see a certified copy of your marriage certificate in order to update your name. You’ll want to keep your original marriage certificate safe at home and use a certified copy for name change applications.

If you need a copy of your marriage certificate, you can contact your state’s vital record office to request it. A certified copy is an official duplicate that has special seals to verify its authenticity. You cannot simply use a photocopy that you make yourself. 

We highly recommend ordering a few certified copies of your marriage certificate to make the process more efficient.

Cost: Many counties charge a small fee for preparing and mailing certified marriage certificate copies. 

If you’ve recently gotten divorced

Similarly, a divorce decree is issued by the court as a summary document after the completion of your divorce. Your divorce decree might state that you can or plan to change your name back to your maiden name or a previous name. This varies slightly by state.

A certified copy of your divorce decree will be used to change your name at all the places listed on the checklist below. If you don’t have a copy of your divorce decree, you can request it from your state’s vital records office.

If your divorce decree doesn’t state that you can change your name and what you can change it to, then you’ll need to apply for a court-approved name change form, as detailed below. You’ll need to bring proof of your former name with you to your court appearance. This might be an old driver’s license, passport, or birth certificate.

If you’re changing your name for any other reason

For all other reasons you might change your name, you’ll need a court-approved name change form.

To get a name change form, you’ll need to apply at your local county courthouse. The process differs slightly from state to state. You can find the process for your state by going to your state’s website and searching for information about name changes.

After you apply to change your name, you may need to:

• Pay a fee
• Publish your name change in a local newspaper for a set amount of time

You can find information for your specific state and documents here. 

Government IDs

When changing your name, the first place you want to change your name is on all of your government IDs. 

Social Security card

Your first stop on your name change journey is with the Social Security Administration or SSA to issue a new card with your new name. This is the first place you must update your name because all government agencies refer to the SSA database to check your name and information. If you don’t update this first, other agencies won’t be able to update your name.

Updating your Social Security card is a straightforward process. Simply download Form SS-5, fill it out, and submit the completed form to your local Social Security office. 

Cost: Free

Required documents: legal name change form (marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court form) and a valid photo ID.

Driver’s license or photo ID

Your next stop is the Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV to update your driver’s license or state ID card. Each state has a slightly different application process, so you’ll want to research your individual state’s rules before making an appointment. After you apply, it can take a few weeks to get your new driver's license in the mail.

Cost: Varies by state

Required documents: This varies by state, but in general, you’ll need your updated Social Security card, current driver’s license, proof of address, and your legal name change form.

Passport

If you’re planning some international travel, you’ll need to make sure you have a valid passport with your new name on it. To update your passport, you’ll need to fill out one of these forms:

DS-82: If your passport was issued more than a year ago, you’ll fill out this form. There is a processing fee required to get a new passport.

DS-5504: If your passport is less than a year old, you fill out this form. There’s no fee for this.

DS-11: If your passport has been expired for five or more years, you’ll need to fill out this form. 

Getting a new passport is a slow process, so you’ll want to plan ahead if you’ve got any upcoming travel. Standard applications can take up to eleven weeks, while an expedited application takes three. After your application has been approved, you’ll receive your new passport in the mail along with your old one with a hole punched in it so it can no longer be used.

Cost: $0-$235, depending on when you last renewed your passport.

Required documents: Application form, proof of identity, color photograph, processing fee.

Legal documents

Birth certificates

If you’re changing your name because of a change in marital status, you don’t need to update your name on your birth certificate. If you’re changing your name to better align with your identity, you can change your name on your birth certificate. Some examples of this would include:

• Changing your name to fit a new gender identity
• Adoption
• Desire to remove or change a surname after separation from your birth family

To update it, you'll need to submit the birth certificate correction form, a certified copy of your original birth certificate, and your legal name change document issued by your local county court. 

Cost: Varies by state

Required documents: Birth certificate correction form, certified copy of your original birth certificate, and legal name change document

Financial accounts

Bank accounts

To update your name on your bank account or with your credit union, you’ll need to either visit a local branch office or call the financial institution's phone number and speak to a representative.
If you’ve recently gotten married or divorced, you might also want to remove your spouse from your account or start a joint account with them. 

Cost: Free

Required documents: Legal name change document and updated photo ID

Credit and debit cards

Changing your name on your credit or debit cards follows the same process as your bank account. You'll need to speak to the card issuer. Each of the credit card companies has a slightly different process, but the fastest way to get answers is to call the number on the back of your credit card.

Some banks allow you to change your name through an online portal, but not many.

Cost: Free

Required documents: Legal name change document and updated photo ID

Investment portfolios

Like a bank account, you’ll want to update your name on your investment portfolio accounts. Start by calling the helpline of the company where your investment portfolio is held. 

Cost: Free

Required documents: Legal name change document and updated photo ID

Mortgages or rental agreement

If you own a home, be sure to contact your mortgage issuer and update your name on your account. 

As a renter, your name is on the lease agreement, which is a legally binding contract. Your landlord will likely want to update your name on the lease agreement.

Cost: Free

Required documents: Legal name change document

Loans

Similarly to other financial documents, your name on your loans should be updated after a name change. Contact the bank that holds your loan to update your name. 

Cost: Free

Required documents: Legal name change document

IRS records

Once you’ve filed your paperwork with the Social Security Administration, your new name will be sent automatically to the IRS. This process can take a few weeks but will make it so that you can file your taxes under your new name. 

If it’s near tax time when you change your name, remember that this process can take a few weeks, and there may be some confusion. If you can, you might want to wait to file your tax return.

Cost: Free

Required documents: None. This is an automatic process where one agency notifies another

Work records

If you’re changing your name, be sure to let your employer know. You can reach out to your company’s HR department so they can update your name on the necessary paperwork and in the company database.

This would include updating your name for:

• Employee benefits and health insurance
• Payroll information
• Retirement accounts

You’ll also want to take a moment to update your work email address and signature to reflect your new name.

Deeds and titles

Car registration and title

The process for updating the title and registration for your vehicle will vary depending on the state where you live. 

You may be able to update your car’s registration or your vehicle title at the DMV when you update your name on your driver’s license. In other states, this might be a separate process and department. Your state’s DMV website should have specific steps you can follow.

In general, an updated registration is granted right away, but you’ll likely need to wait a few weeks to receive your new title in the mail. 

Cost: Varies by state

Required documents: Varies by state. Check your state’s DMV website or call to get a list of the required documents.

Property deeds

Your property deed is proof of ownership for your home or land. To change your name on your property deed, you’ll likely need to file a quitclaim or grant deed. You’re essentially giving the property deed to yourself, just under a different name. This document can be filed with the county recorder’s office and your mortgage lender.

Cost: $50 to $200

Required documents: Varies by state

Online accounts

After legally changing your name, it’s time to show off your new name. While there are many legal accounts and documents where you must change your name, there are also some online, public-facing places where it’ll be fun to update and show off your new name.

Some online accounts where you might want to update your name:

• Email address and signature
• Social media accounts and handles
• Professional networking sites

As long as the addresses and handles are available, updating your accounts should be free and easy to do online. For some accounts, you’ll be able to update your name, while others, you might need to just make a new account. 

Cost: Free

Required documents: None

Estate planning documents

Going through a name change is a good time to also look at any estate planning documents you’ve already created. And, if you haven’t created some, it’s time. While reviewing your documents, you can also update them to include your new name.

Estate planning documents to review when changing your name include:

• Wills
• Trusts
• Power of attorney
• Advance directives

Miscellaneous accounts

While we’ve attempted to make an exhaustive list of everywhere you should update your name after a name change, there’s always another account that’s out there and needs to be updated.

A few other accounts and places that you should check include the following.

• Professional licenses 
• Business ownership documents or marketing materials
• Insurance (health, life, term, disability, renters, homeowners)
• Utility companies
• Medical providers
• Loyalty programs (airlines, hotels, retail stores)
• TSA PreCheck and Global Entry
• Voter registration with your local election office
• Digital or print subscriptions
• United States Postal Service for mail delivery
• TV and internet bills
• Cellphone bills
• Gym/fitness memberships
• Children’s school
• Alumni associations
• Other personal accounts

As you work through all of the places that you need to update your name, it’s likely that you’ll stumble on other places. And, even once you think you’re done, there’s likely one more you haven’t thought of that will pop up six months later.

It’s OK to update your accounts as you notice them. The most important accounts to update are listed at the top of this article. 

How a name change kit can help

Going through the legal name change process and then updating your myriad accounts to your new name may be daunting, but you don't have to go through it alone. Our name change checklist can be your guide throughout the process. You might also consider enlisting the help of a family attorney to help you file all of the necessary paperwork along the way. 

FAQs

How much does it cost to change your name?

The cost of changing your name depends upon the state where you live and how many different places and documents you need to update with your new name. 

In many places, there are small processing fees for making a legal name change. As well, you might pay a fee to update your passport, state-issued ID card, or car registration.

Which documents should I update first after changing my name?

Before you start updating your name in different locations, your first step is to get a certified copy of your legal name change documentation. This might be a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court documentation of a name change.

Once you have that, you’ll want to start by updating your name with the Social Security Administration. Then, you can update your photo ID or driver’s license. 

All accounts and documentation after that can be done in any order. Your Social Security card and photo ID will act as corroboration to your legal name change document to prove your new name.

Do I need to update documents if I get a hyphenated name?

Yes. You and your spouse will need to go through the name change process if you both choose to hyphenate your name after marriage. Your marriage license should document your new, hyphenated name so that it shows up on your marriage certificate, and you can update any other accounts that you want to.