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

A name change in Connecticut runs through federal forms and Connecticut 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 Connecticut Department of Public Health, Vital Records Office (or the town clerk/vital records office where the marriage occurred). 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 Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV) license application. This is the Connecticut-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 Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV) 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 Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV). Details on the Connecticut 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. Connecticut also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• 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)

REAL ID note: 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).

Good to know for Connecticut: 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.

Many Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a Connecticut appointment.

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

Form SS-5. Connecticut 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 Connecticut matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Connecticut is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.

DS-82, routine service from Connecticut
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 (Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV)): $8–$30 (varies; confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $38–$285 in Connecticut: 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 Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Connecticut does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.