How to Change Your Name After Marriage in Kentucky
Here's exactly how to change your name after marriage in Kentucky: the right documents, the right order, and the official Kentucky links you'll need.
Checked against official Kentucky and federal sources in August 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
The Kentucky order of operations
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.
Every Kentucky step, in the right order
This page covers name change after marriage. Your free checklist puts it with the other agencies, sequenced for Kentucky, so nothing gets done out of order.
Step 1: Your certified marriage certificate
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.
Step 2–4: Social Security, then the DMV
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)
Step 5–6: Passport, voter registration & everyone else
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. After the deadline, rolls are frozen until after the election.), and finally your bank, employer, and insurers.
Kentucky 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 agencyKentucky: ordering a certified marriage certificate
- State agencyKentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Driver Licensing (DRIVE): name change on a license or ID
- State agencyKentucky official voter registration page
- The lawKRS 116.045Registration is closed from the 4th Tuesday before a primary or general 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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