How to Change Your Name After Marriage in Arizona

The winning sequence in Arizona is: certified marriage certificate → Social Security (free, first) → wait at least 2 business days → Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) → passport → notify everyone. Each step verifies against the one before it, so order matters.

Order 3–5 certified copies from the Clerk of the Superior Court in the Arizona county where the marriage license was issued (Arizona marriage records are kept at the county level, not by the state Dept. of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records, which handles only birth/death records). Photocopies aren't accepted.

Good to know for Arizona: Example given is Maricopa County (largest AZ county, clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov); certified copy costs about $35.50-$43.50 depending on request method. Residents must request from the specific county Clerk of Superior Court where their license was issued, not a single statewide office.

File the free SS-5 with Social Security first, wait at least 2 business days, then update your license at the Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD) (typically about $12 (confirm with the agency)). Bring:

• Certified Arizona marriage certificate/license (or other legal name-change document)
• Current Arizona driver license or ID card
• Proof name was already updated with the Social Security Administration
• Identity/proof-of-residency documents if replacing a REAL ID-compliant license
• Payment for the $12 replacement license/ID fee

Mind the clock: Arizona asks you to update your license within 10 days of your legal name change, so don't park this step for later. The law: A.R.S. § 28-448(A).

Update your passport, then your Arizona voter registration (Must register or update voter registration (including a name change) by 11:59 PM on the 29th day before an election; if the 29th day falls on a weekend/holiday, the deadline extends to the next business day.), and finally your bank, employer, and insurers.