Change your name in Georgia
The exact steps, documents, and official Georgia links to change your name after marriage or divorce, in the correct order.
DMV / license agency
Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS)License update fee
Free for the first name-change replacement license within a license term (verified on dds.georgia.gov); a $32 fee applies if a full renewal is required instead (e.g., license expiring within 150 days)
Marriage certificate
Georgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital RecordsVoter deadline
The Georgia Secretary of State gives the 5th Monday before the election as the last day to register, which works out to 29 days before a Tuesday election. Its page states no separate cutoff for a name change on an existing registration, so update well before then.
To see how Georgia's license fee compares with every other state, use our name change fee table.
Instructions verified August 2026 against official Georgia government sites. How we verify
DMV appointment optionsWhat Georgia asks you to bring
Documents for the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS)
- Certified marriage certificate (name-change document)
- Current Georgia driver's license or ID card
- Updated Social Security card showing new name (update SSA first, then wait 24-48 hours before visiting DDS)
- Two proofs of Georgia residency (for REAL ID compliance)
- For hyphenated surnames: certified copy of the marriage license application showing the hyphenated name selection
Online or in person
Georgia does not accept the license name change online. A visit to Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) is required.
REAL ID in Georgia
Name changes must be completed in person at a DDS Customer Service Center within 60 days of the name change; bring proof of Georgia residency documents consistent with REAL ID verification requirements.
Ordering your Georgia marriage certificate
Statewide marriage records covered are from June 9, 1952 to present. Process is primarily mail-in (complete and mail the Request for Search of Marriage form or Marriage Verification Request form); $10 search fee plus $5 per additional copy. For marriages before June 1952 or for faster/in-person same-day service, contact the Probate Court in the county where the marriage license was issued.
Georgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital RecordsUpdating your Georgia voter registration
Georgia lets you update your registration online. The Georgia Secretary of State gives the 5th Monday before the election as the last day to register, which works out to 29 days before a Tuesday election. Its page states no separate cutoff for a name change on an existing registration, so update well before then.
Update your registrationGeorgia step-by-step guides
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 agencyGeorgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records: certified copies
- State agencyGeorgia Department of Driver Services (DDS): name change on a license or ID
- State agencyGeorgia Department of Driver Services (DDS): appointments
- State agencyGeorgia DDS: license FAQsDDS's page says name changes must be done within 60 days of the name change.
- State agencyGeorgia official voter registration page
- State agencyGeorgia Secretary of State: voter registrationThe state's page: register no later than the 5th Monday before the election.
- 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.
Ready to change your name in Georgia?
Build your free, personalized checklist, sequenced correctly for your state.