How to Change Your Name After Marriage in Kentucky

The winning sequence in Kentucky is: certified marriage certificate → Social Security (free, first) → wait 24–48 hours → Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Driver Licensing (DRIVE) → passport → notify everyone. Each step verifies against the one before it, so order matters.

Order 3–5 certified copies from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics, Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Photocopies aren't accepted.

Good to know for Kentucky: Marriage records from June 1958 to present are held by the state Office of Vital Statistics; records can be ordered by mail (check/money order to Kentucky State Treasurer) or online/expedited via the state's linked VitalChek ordering option. For marriages before June 1958, the county clerk where the license was issued is the only source.

File the free SS-5 with Social Security first, wait 24–48 hours, then update your license at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Driver Licensing (DRIVE) (typically about $15 (confirm with the agency)). Bring:

• Certified Kentucky marriage certificate
• Social Security card updated with new name (SSA update must be done first, then wait 24-48 hours for KYTC to verify against SSA records)
• Current/expired Kentucky driver's license or ID card
• Proof of Kentucky residency (e.g., utility bill, especially if updating to REAL ID)
• Completed application (TC 94-192 renewal/replacement form, if applicable)

Update your passport, then your Kentucky voter registration (Online and mail voter registration updates (including name changes) must be submitted at least 29 days before Election Day; for the 2026 General Election the online deadline is October 5, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. local time. After the deadline, rolls are frozen until after the election.), and finally your bank, employer, and insurers.