Change Your Name on Your Social Security Card in Alabama

In Alabama, as everywhere in the U.S., your Social Security record is the anchor many agencies check against. If you visit the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) - Driver License Division before the SSA has processed your change, the names won't match and you'll be turned away. That's why Form SS-5 is always step one.

The SS-5 is completely free. Never pay a third party just to file it. You can mail the signed form with your original documents (they're mailed back), or take it to a local Social Security office, where the SSA asks you to make an appointment.

Alabama is not on the Social Security Administration's list of states for its online marriage name change, which turns on where your marriage certificate is from. If you were married in one of the participating states (the SSA last published that list in August 2024), you may still be able to do it online from Alabama. Otherwise you'll file the paper SS-5 with your documents.

To update your Social Security card you'll generally need:

• A certified copy of your marriage certificate (order yours from the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), Center for Health Statistics)
• Proof of identity (your current Alabama driver's license or ID)
• A completed Form SS-5

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.

Your new card arrives in about 5–10 business days, but your record updates within roughly 24–48 hours, and that's what unblocks your Alabama driver's license. Read the Alabama DMV name change steps next, and mind the sync wait.