Arkansas Name Change Forms: Every Form and Where to File It

A name change in Arkansas runs through federal forms and Arkansas agencies at the same time. Here is the whole set, and where each one actually comes from.

• Certified marriage certificate or divorce decree. Not a form you fill in, but the document everything else depends on. Order certified copies from the Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records (Slot 44, 4815 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205). Get two or three, since several agencies each want to see one.
• Form SS-5 (Social Security card). One national form, identical in every state, and always free. Download it straight from the SSA (PDF), or see it filled out field by field.
• Your Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services license application. This is the Arkansas-specific piece. The agency supplies the form, and most locations hand it to you at the counter or post it on their site rather than publishing a standalone name-change form. Start from the official Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services page.
• A passport form, if you hold a passport: DS-5504 (free, passport under a year old), DS-82 (renew by mail), or DS-11 (in person). Which one is yours is a short test: compare all three.
• Voter registration update. Free, and often handled for you at the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services. Details on the Arkansas voter registration page.

Watch for sites charging a fee to "provide" the SS-5 or the passport forms. Every one of them is a free download from the government, linked above.

Filling in the form is half of it. Arkansas also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Current Arkansas driver license or ID card
• Certified marriage certificate (or court order/divorce decree) proving legal name change
• Proof of Social Security Number
• Proof of Arkansas residency (may be requested for REAL ID compliance)
• Completed Affidavit of Legal Name Change form (if applicable)

REAL ID note: Name changes must be done in person at a DFA Revenue Office; not available online or by mail. Bring proof of SSN and, for REAL ID, proof of residency/identity documents as required by the Revenue Office.

Good to know for Arkansas: Order online, by mail, by phone (866-209-9482), or walk-in. Fee is $10 per copy (online orders add a $5 processing fee plus $1.85 identity verification fee and optional expedited shipping). Processing 7-14 business days plus shipping; same-day service available for walk-ins arriving by 4:00 PM with required ID.

Two of these go in the mail, and they do not go to the same place.

Form SS-5. Arkansas is one of the states where the SSA supports a fully online marriage name change, so you may not need to mail anything at all. Start at my Social Security. If you would rather use paper, take or mail the SS-5 to a local office: find your nearest one.

Passport forms. This is where Arkansas matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Arkansas is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.

DS-82, routine service from Arkansas
National Passport Processing Center
PO Box 90155
Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155

Routine service (no fee)
National Passport Processing Center
Post Office Box 90107
Philadelphia, PA 19190-0107

Expedited service uses different addresses again and costs extra, and the instructions ask you to write "Expedite" on the outside of the envelope. Use a trackable mailing service: that envelope holds your passport and your certified certificate.

• Certified marriage certificate (3 copies): $30–$90
• Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
• Driver's license update (Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services): about $10 (confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $40–$265 in Arkansas: on the low end if you skip the passport, on the high end with a full passport renewal and extra certificate copies.

The forms themselves cost nothing. What you pay for is certified copies, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Office of Driver Services fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Arkansas does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.