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

A name change in Indiana runs through federal forms and Indiana 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 Indiana county Clerk of Court (county-level marriage records) / Indiana Department of Health Vital Records Division (statewide "Record of Marriage" index, 1958–present). 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 Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) license application. This is the Indiana-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 Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) 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 Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). Details on the Indiana 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. Indiana also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Marriage license/certificate (or divorce decree/court order/amended birth certificate showing the new legal name)
• Proof that name was already updated with the Social Security Administration (wait 1+ business day before visiting BMV)
• Current Indiana driver's license or state ID
• Proof of Indiana residency document (needed if also seeking a REAL ID-compliant credential)
• Payment for the $9 BMV credential amendment fee

REAL ID note: Name changes cannot be done online or at a kiosk. An in-person BMV branch visit is required within 30 days of the legal name change, and you must wait at least one business day after updating your name with the Social Security Administration before visiting. If upgrading to a REAL ID-compliant credential at the same time, you'll also need proof of SSN, one proof of Indiana residency, and proof of legal presence.

Good to know for Indiana: Indiana's marriage system is decentralized: certified copies of the actual marriage license/certificate must be obtained from the county Clerk of Court where the license was issued. The state Dept. of Health Vital Records Division only holds a "Record of Marriage" index and requires State Form 54764 mailed with payment and a photo ID copy; state fee is roughly $8, processing 10-15 business days after receipt. County fees and processes vary, and the in.gov page links out to county lookup tools rather than processing orders directly.

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 Indiana matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Indiana is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.

DS-82, routine service from Indiana
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.

• Certified marriage certificate (3 copies): $30–$90
• Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
• Driver's license update (Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV)): about $9 (confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $39–$264 in Indiana: 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 Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Indiana does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.