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

A name change in Kansas runs through federal forms and Kansas 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 Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Office 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 Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (DOV) license application. This is the Kansas-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 Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (DOV) 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 Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (DOV). Details on the Kansas 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. Kansas also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Certified Kansas (or other US) marriage certificate (duplicate marriage licenses not accepted)
• Current Kansas driver's license or ID card
• Proof of current residential address
• Proof of updated name with the Social Security Administration (must update with SSA at least 24 hours prior)
• Payment for the $16 license / $12 ID fee

REAL ID note: Name must first be updated with the Social Security Administration at least 24 hours before visiting a Kansas DOV office; bring current Kansas credential, proof of legal name change, and proof of current residential address. Appointments are recommended (not required) as walk-ins receive lower priority.

Good to know for Kansas: Certified copies are $20 each (includes a 5-year record search). Order online/by phone via VitalChek (plus $15 expedite fee), by mail, in person at the Topeka office (1000 SW Jackson, Suite 120), or via the IKAN mobile app. Alternatively, the District Court Clerk in the county where the license was issued can provide copies.

Many Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (DOV) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a Kansas 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 Kansas matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Kansas is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.

DS-82, routine service from Kansas
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 (Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (DOV)): $12–$16 (varies; confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $42–$271 in Kansas: 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 Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (DOV) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Kansas does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.