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Alabama · Name change checklist

Alabama Name Change Checklist After Marriage

Everything you need to change your name in Alabama, in the exact order that keeps you from getting turned away. Build your personalized version free.

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Checked against official Alabama and federal sources in August 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.

The correct order in Alabama

Follow this sequence in Alabama:

  • 1. Certified marriage certificate: order copies from the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), Center for Health Statistics.
  • 2. Social Security (SS-5): free, and always first.
  • 3. Wait 24–48 hours for the SSA record to sync.
  • 4. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) - Driver License Division: update your license (about $36.25 (confirm with the agency)).
  • 5. Passport: DS-82, DS-11, or DS-5504.
  • 6. Voter registration & everyone else: bank, employer, insurers.

Every Alabama step, in the right order

This page covers name change checklist. Your free checklist puts it with the other agencies, sequenced for Alabama, so nothing gets done out of order.

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Alabama documents to gather

  • Certified marriage certificate (original or certified copy)
  • Updated Social Security card (proof SSA record already reflects new name; 24-hour waiting period after SSA visit)
  • Current Alabama driver license or state ID
  • Proof of residency document (for REAL ID compliance)
  • Payment for duplicate license fee ($36.25)

Good to know for Alabama: Order online/by phone via VitalChek (1-888-279-9888), by mail to Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625, or in person at any county health department. Search/certified copy fee is $15.00; additional copies same order $6.00 each; $15.00 expedite fee.

What a name change costs in Alabama

  • Certified marriage certificate (3 copies, at typical prices): $30–$90
  • Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
  • Driver's license update (Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) - Driver License Division): about $36.25 (confirm with the agency)
  • Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
  • Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $66–$291 in Alabama: on the low end if you skip the passport, on the high end with a full passport renewal and extra certificate copies.

Alabama FAQs

Most people spend roughly $66–$291 in Alabama: on the low end if you skip the passport, on the high end with a full passport renewal and extra certificate copies. The government forms themselves are free or low-cost; there is no fee to update Social Security.

Without a passport, most people finish the government steps (Social Security, license) in about 2–4 weeks in Alabama. A passport is the slow part: the State Department says routine processing takes 4–6 weeks, plus up to 2 weeks of mail each way, so plan for up to 10. The remaining accounts go at your pace, and most people finish within about 3 months.

Sources

We checked the details on this page against the official sources below in August 2026. Rules and fees change, so confirm anything you are about to act on at the agency's own page. The legal citations were last re-read against their sources in October 2026. How we verify.

NameWright is not a government agency and this is not legal advice. We prepare your paperwork; you file it.

More Alabama guides

Alabama: Name change after marriageAlabama: Social Security cardAlabama: Driver's license / DMVAlabama: Voter registration
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