Delaware · Name change checklist

Delaware Name Change Checklist After Marriage

Everything you need to change your name in Delaware, in the exact order that keeps you from getting turned away. Build your personalized version free.

The correct order in Delaware

Follow this sequence in Delaware:

1. Certified marriage certificate: order copies from the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics, Division of Public Health (Jesse S. Cooper Building, Dover).
2. Social Security (SS-5): free, and always first.
3. Wait 24–48 hours for the SSA record to sync.
4. Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV): update your license (a standard replacement-license fee (not published; confirm with the agency)).
5. Passport: DS-82, DS-11, or DS-5504.
6. Voter registration & everyone else: bank, employer, insurers.

Skip the guesswork

Build your free, personalized checklist and we'll put every step in the right order for your state.

Build my free checklist

Delaware documents to gather

Current driver license or state ID
Original or certified copy of marriage certificate (or divorce decree/legal name change document)
Proof from the Social Security Administration confirming the name change (update SSA records first, wait 48-72 hours)
Payment for license replacement fee

Good to know for Delaware: Certified marriage certificates ($25/copy, payable to Office of Vital Statistics) can be ordered in person at three county offices (New Castle, Kent, Sussex), by mail, or online via third-party vendors GoCertificates.com or VitalChek (additional fees apply for online orders).

What a name change costs in Delaware

Certified marriage certificate (3 copies): $30–$90
Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
Driver's license update (Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)): a standard replacement-license fee (not published; confirm with the agency)
Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
Voter registration: Free

Your total in Delaware depends mostly on the DMV fee and whether you update a passport. Skipping the passport keeps it under about $100 for most people; a paid passport renewal adds $130–$165.

Delaware FAQs

Your total in Delaware depends mostly on the DMV fee and whether you update a passport. Skipping the passport keeps it under about $100 for most people; a paid passport renewal adds $130–$165. The government forms themselves are free or low-cost; there is no fee to update Social Security.

Most people finish the government steps (Social Security, license, passport) in about 4–6 weeks in Delaware, then the remaining accounts over 2–3 months.

More Delaware guides

Delaware: Name change after marriage Delaware: Social Security card Delaware: Driver's license / DMV Delaware: Voter registration

Free to start

Ready to change your name the right way?

Build your free, personalized checklist in about 90 seconds. No account needed to start.

Build my free checklist See what's in the kit