Change Your Name on Your Social Security Card in Connecticut

In Connecticut, as everywhere in the U.S., your Social Security record is the anchor many agencies check against. If you visit the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (CT DMV) 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.

Connecticut is on the Social Security Administration's list of states for its online marriage name change. The rule turns on where your marriage certificate is from: if you were married in Connecticut, you may be able to request your new card through a my Social Security account. You'll answer a few screening questions and use a driver's license or state ID; there is nothing to mail. Wait at least 30 days after the wedding so the state can update its records.

If the screening says you don't qualify, or you were married somewhere else, or you're changing your name after a divorce, use the paper SS-5 and make an appointment at a local office instead. The SSA last published its state list in August 2024 and says it will grow, so its own screening has the final word.

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

• A certified copy of your marriage certificate (order yours from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Vital Records Office (or the town clerk/vital records office where the marriage occurred))
• Proof of identity (your current Connecticut driver's license or ID)
• A completed Form SS-5

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.

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 Connecticut driver's license. Read the Connecticut DMV name change steps next, and mind the sync wait.