Change your name in Connecticut
The exact steps, documents, and official Connecticut links to change your name after marriage or divorce, in the correct order.
DMV / license agency
Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV)License update fee
$30 to change name on a driver's license or non-driver ID; DMV express office locations may add a convenience fee of up to $8 per transaction
Marriage certificate
Connecticut Department of Public Health, Vital Records Office (or the town clerk/vital records office where the marriage occurred)Voter deadline
Pre-election voter registration cutoff is 18 days before Election Day; same-day registration is also available on Election Day itself. Name/address updates can be made online, by mail, in person with the local Registrar of Voters, or through the DMV.
To see how Connecticut's license fee compares with every other state, use our name change fee table.
Instructions verified August 2026 against official Connecticut government sites. How we verify
Book your DMV appointment (required)What Connecticut asks you to bring
Documents for the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV)
- Completed Change of Name Request (Form E-78)
- Current Connecticut driver's license or non-driver ID
- Certified marriage certificate (original, not a photocopy or religious certificate)
- Updated Social Security card/confirmation of SSA name change (recommended before DMV visit)
- $30 fee payment (plus up to $8 convenience fee at express offices)
Online or in person
Connecticut does not accept the license name change online. A visit to Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV) is required.
REAL ID in Connecticut
Name change appointments are by appointment only at DMV hub or express offices; first update your name with the Social Security Administration and wait 48 hours before visiting DMV. A temporary paper credential is issued at the appointment; the permanent card arrives by mail (about 20 business days).
Ordering your Connecticut marriage certificate
Order online via VitalChek (additional service fees apply), or mail a completed application to the State Vital Records Office (410 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06134) or to the town where the marriage took place. Requester must be at least 18.
Connecticut Department of Public Health, Vital Records Office (or the town clerk/vital records office where the marriage occurred)Updating your Connecticut voter registration
Connecticut lets you update your registration online. Pre-election voter registration cutoff is 18 days before Election Day; same-day registration is also available on Election Day itself. Name/address updates can be made online, by mail, in person with the local Registrar of Voters, or through the DMV.
Update your registrationConnecticut step-by-step guides
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.
- State agencyConnecticut: ordering a certified marriage certificate
- State agencyConnecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV): name change on a license or ID
- State agencyConnecticut official voter registration page
- The lawConn. Gen. Stat. § 9-17(a)The registrars' session on the 18th day before an election is the last for admitting electors; same-day registration is under § 9-19j.
- FederalSocial Security Administration: change your name
- FederalSocial Security Administration: Form SS-5
- FederalU.S. Department of State: change or correct a passport
NameWright is not a government agency and this is not legal advice. We prepare your paperwork; you file it.
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