Georgia Name Change Checklist After Marriage
Everything you need to change your name in Georgia, in the exact order that keeps you from getting turned away. Build your personalized version free.
Checked against official Georgia and federal sources in August 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
The correct order in Georgia
Follow this sequence in Georgia:
- 1. Certified marriage certificate: order copies from the Georgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records.
- 2. Social Security (SS-5): free, and always first.
- 3. Wait 24–48 hours for the SSA record to sync.
- 4. Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS): update your license (free (confirm with the agency)).
- 5. Passport: DS-82, DS-11, or DS-5504.
- 6. Voter registration & everyone else: bank, employer, insurers.
Mind the clock: Georgia asks you to update your license within 60 days of your legal name change, so don't park this step for later. Source: Georgia DDS: license FAQs.
Every Georgia step, in the right order
This page covers name change checklist. Your free checklist puts it with the other agencies, sequenced for Georgia, so nothing gets done out of order.
Georgia documents to gather
- 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
Good to know for Georgia: 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.
What a name change costs in Georgia
- Certified marriage certificate (3 copies, at typical prices): $30–$90
- Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
- Driver's license update (Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS)): free (confirm with the agency)
- Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
- Voter registration: Free
Most people spend roughly $30–$255 in Georgia: on the low end if you skip the passport, on the high end with a full passport renewal and extra certificate copies.
Georgia FAQs
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.
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