Florida Name Change Forms: Every Form and Where to File It

A name change in Florida runs through federal forms and Florida 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 Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. 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 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) license application. This is the Florida-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 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) 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 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). Details on the Florida 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.

Filling in the form is half of it. Florida also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Original or certified copy of marriage certificate (photocopies not accepted; must be recognized by the State of Florida, not a church-issued certificate)
• Current Florida driver license or ID card
• Proof of Social Security number
• Proof of Florida residency (two documents, e.g. utility bill, bank statement)
• Proof of citizenship or lawful presence (e.g. birth certificate or U.S. passport)

REAL ID note: All name changes must be completed in person at a local FLHSMV or tax collector office (unlike address changes, which can be done online via the MyDMV Portal). Wait 24-48 hours after updating your name with the Social Security Administration before applying.

Good to know for Florida: Order online via VitalChek (contracted vendor) with a credit card, or by mail/in person directly at the Bureau of Vital Statistics (1217 N Pearl St., Jacksonville, FL 32202). State fee is $5 for the first certified copy (includes required search fee) and $4 for each additional copy ordered at the same time when ordering directly from the state; VitalChek adds its own processing fee on top. Records available for FL marriages from June 1, 1927 to present; allow ~60 days after the ceremony before the record is available.

Many Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a Florida appointment.

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 Florida matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Florida is one of six states routed to the Texas processing center.

DS-82, routine service from Florida
National Passport Processing Center
PO Box 640155
Irving, TX 75064-0155

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.

• Certified marriage certificate (3 copies): $30–$90
• Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
• Driver's license update (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV)): $6.25–$25 (varies; confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $36–$280 in Florida: 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 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Florida does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.