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

A name change in Illinois runs through federal forms and Illinois 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 Office of the County Clerk (in the Illinois county where the marriage occurred) - the Illinois Dept. of Public Health Division of Vital Records does NOT hold marriage records and cannot issue certified copies. 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 Illinois Secretary of State (ILSOS) - Driver Services license application. This is the Illinois-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 Illinois Secretary of State (ILSOS) - Driver Services 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 Illinois Secretary of State (ILSOS) - Driver Services. Details on the Illinois 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. Illinois also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Certified copy of marriage certificate (from the county clerk where married)
• Current Illinois driver's license or state ID
• Updated Social Security card reflecting the new name
• A second document linking the old and new name (e.g., passport, birth certificate) if not otherwise clear
• Proof of Illinois residency (two documents, e.g. utility bill/lease) if also completing a REAL ID upgrade

REAL ID note: Illinois law requires notifying ILSOS of a name change within 10 days (CDL holders must obtain a corrected license within 30 days); must visit a Driver Services facility in person with ID linking old and new names. If upgrading to REAL ID at the same time, additional proof of SSN, IL residency (2 documents), and identity/lawful status is required.

Good to know for Illinois: Illinois marriage certificates are recorded and certified only at the county clerk level, not by the state. IDPH's Division of Vital Records can only provide a $5 verification-of-facts letter (names, DOB, event date/place) for marriages from 1962 onward, by mail/fax/in-person - not an official certified certificate.

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

DS-82, routine service from Illinois
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 (Illinois Secretary of State (ILSOS) - Driver Services): $5–$10 (varies; confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $35–$265 in Illinois: 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 Illinois Secretary of State (ILSOS) - Driver Services fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Illinois does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.