District of Columbia · Name change checklist

District of Columbia Name Change Checklist After Marriage

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

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Checked against official District of Columbia and federal sources in August 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.

The correct order in District of Columbia

Follow this sequence in District of Columbia:

1. Certified marriage certificate: order copies from the DC Superior Court, Family Court Operations Division - Marriage Bureau (Moultrie Courthouse); NOTE: not DC Health Vital Records, which handles only birth/death/domestic partnership records.
2. Social Security (SS-5): free, and always first.
3. Wait 24–48 hours for the SSA record to sync.
4. District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV): update your license (about $20 (confirm with the agency)).
5. Passport: DS-82, DS-11, or DS-5504.
6. Voter registration & everyone else: bank, employer, insurers.

Every District of Columbia step, in the right order

This page covers name change checklist. Your free checklist puts it with the other agencies, sequenced for District of Columbia, so nothing gets done out of order.

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District of Columbia documents to gather

Current DC driver's license, learner permit, or non-driver ID card (original, no photocopies)
Certified marriage certificate showing the name change (original, no photocopies/scans)
Proof of updated Social Security Administration record (required first if credential is REAL ID)
Additional original proof of identity, SSN, and DC residency documents (required only if current credential is NOT already a REAL ID)

What a name change costs in District of Columbia

Certified marriage certificate (3 copies, at typical prices): $30–$90
Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
Driver's license update (District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV)): about $20 (confirm with the agency)
Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $50–$275 in District of Columbia: on the low end if you skip the passport, on the high end with a full passport renewal and extra certificate copies.

District of Columbia FAQs

Most people spend roughly $50–$275 in District of Columbia: on the low end if you skip the passport, on the high end with a full passport renewal and extra certificate copies. The government forms themselves are free or low-cost; there is no fee to update Social Security.

Without a passport, most people finish the government steps (Social Security, license) in about 2–4 weeks in District of Columbia. A passport is the slow part: the State Department says routine processing takes 4–6 weeks, plus up to 2 weeks of mail each way, so plan for up to 10. The remaining accounts go at your pace, and most people finish within about 3 months.

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 agencyDistrict of Columbia: ordering a certified marriage certificate
State agencyDistrict of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV): name change on a license or ID
State agencyDistrict of Columbia official voter registration page
The lawD.C. Code § 1-1001.07(g)Applications must be received by the 21st day before an election; same-day registration is available at Vote Centers.
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.

More District of Columbia guides

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

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