How to Change Your Name After Marriage in Maine
Here's exactly how to change your name after marriage in Maine: the right documents, the right order, and the official Maine links you'll need.
The Maine order of operations
The winning sequence in Maine is: certified marriage certificate → Social Security (free, first) → wait 24–48 hours → Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), Department of the Secretary of State → passport → notify everyone. Each step verifies against the one before it, so order matters.
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Step 1: Your certified marriage certificate
Order 3–5 certified copies from the Data, Research and Vital Statistics (DRVS), Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC). Photocopies aren't accepted.
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 Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), Department of the Secretary of State (typically $5–$55 (varies; confirm with the agency)). Bring:
- Certified marriage certificate (or divorce decree/court order showing name change)
- Current Maine driver's license or state ID
- Completed BMV application/request for duplicate license with new name and signature
- Proof of Maine residency (required for REAL ID)
- Social Security card updated with new name (recommended to update first, per SSA)
Step 5–6: Passport, voter registration & everyone else
Update your passport, then your Maine voter registration (Online voter registration updates (including name changes) must be submitted at least 21 days before Election Day; written/mail notice of a name or address change must reach the registrar before the close of registration prior to election day (Maine Title 21-A Sec. 129)), and finally your bank, employer, and insurers.
Maine FAQs
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