Delaware Name Change Forms: Every Form and Where to File It
There is no single Delaware name change form. There are four or five, they come from three different places, and this page links each one directly.
Official link
Download Form SS-5 (free, ssa.gov)Every form you need in Delaware
A name change in Delaware runs through federal forms and Delaware 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 Delaware Office of Vital Statistics, Division of Public Health (Jesse S. Cooper Building, Dover). 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 Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) license application. This is the Delaware-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 Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (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 Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Details on the Delaware 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.
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Documents the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) asks for
Filling in the form is half of it. Delaware also wants supporting documents at the counter:
- 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
REAL ID note: Must update Social Security Administration records first and wait 48-72 hours before visiting DMV; bring current license, certified marriage certificate/divorce decree/legal name change document, and SSA proof of update. Must be done within 30 days of legal name change, in person at one of four DMV offices (Wilmington, New Castle, Dover, Georgetown).
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).
Where to send each form
Two of these go in the mail, and they do not go to the same place.
Form SS-5. Delaware 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 Delaware matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Delaware is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.
DS-82, routine service from Delaware
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.
What these forms cost 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.
The forms themselves cost nothing. What you pay for is certified copies, the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Delaware does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.
Delaware FAQs
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