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

A name change in Maryland runs through federal forms and Maryland 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 Division of Vital Records, Maryland Department of Health. 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 MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) license application. This is the Maryland-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 MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) 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 MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Details on the Maryland 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. Maryland also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Certified copy of marriage certificate (or divorce decree/court order), original/certified, not a photocopy
• Updated Social Security card / proof of SSA name change (update SSA first, wait 72 hours)
• Current Maryland driver's license or state ID
• Proof of Maryland residency (required for REAL ID-compliant credential)
• Completed MVA name/address change request (form used at branch visit)

REAL ID note: Bring proof of Social Security Administration name update (update SSA first and wait at least 72 hours before your MVA appointment); a certified marriage certificate or other certified name-change document is required, photocopies not accepted; if upgrading to REAL ID additional proof of residency/identity documents may be requested.

Good to know for Maryland: Certified copies available only for marriages on/after Jan 1, 2007 (earlier marriages: contact the circuit court in the county of marriage or the Maryland State Archives). Order online via VitalChek (additional service fee), by mail with check/money order, or in person by appointment; mail requests go to Division of Vital Records, P.O. Box 68760, Baltimore, MD 21215-0036.

Many MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a Maryland appointment.

Two of these go in the mail, and they do not go to the same place.

Form SS-5. Maryland is one of the states where the SSA supports a fully online marriage name change, so you may not need to mail anything at all. Start at my Social Security. If you would rather use paper, take or mail the SS-5 to a local office: find your nearest one.

Passport forms. This is where Maryland matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Maryland is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.

DS-82, routine service from Maryland
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 (MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA)): about $30 (confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $60–$285 in Maryland: 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 MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Maryland does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.