District of Columbia Name Change Forms: Every Form and Where to File It
There is no single District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia
A name change in District of Columbia runs through federal forms and District of Columbia 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 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. 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 District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV) license application. This is the District of Columbia-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 District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC 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 District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV). Details on the District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV) asks for
Filling in the form is half of it. District of Columbia also wants supporting documents at the counter:
- 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)
REAL ID note: If the credential is a REAL ID (has the star), you must update your name with the Social Security Administration BEFORE visiting DC DMV. Non-REAL ID holders must bring additional original source documents proving identity, SSN, and DC residency.
Many District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a District of Columbia appointment.
Where to send each form
Two of these go in the mail, and they do not go to the same place.
Form SS-5. Take or mail it to a local Social Security office. There is no central address for the SS-5, so use the SSA office locator to find the one that serves you.
Passport forms. This is where District of Columbia matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. District of Columbia is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.
DS-82, routine service from District of Columbia
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 District of Columbia
- Certified marriage certificate (3 copies): $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.
The forms themselves cost nothing. What you pay for is certified copies, the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything District of Columbia does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.
District of Columbia FAQs
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