Change your name in Massachusetts
The exact steps, documents, and official Massachusetts links to change your name after marriage or divorce, in the correct order.
DMV / license agency
Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV)License update fee
$25 (Driver's License/ID Amendment Fee)
Marriage certificate
Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS), Massachusetts Department of Public HealthVoter deadline
Registration/update/party-change deadline is 5:00 p.m. on the 10th day before any election or town meeting. Online update requires an existing MA driver's license or state ID.
To see how Massachusetts's license fee compares with every other state, use our name change fee table.
Instructions verified August 2026 against official Massachusetts government sites. How we verify
Book your DMV appointment (required)What Massachusetts asks you to bring
Documents for the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV)
- Certified marriage certificate (proof of legal name change)
- Current Massachusetts driver's license or ID card
- Proof of Social Security Number (SSA card, W-2, or 1099)
- Completed RMV license/ID application form
- Proof of residency (only if address also changed)
Online or in person
Massachusetts does not accept the license name change online. A visit to Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is required.
REAL ID in Massachusetts
Name change requests must be completed in person at an RMV Service Center by appointment; online/phone options only cover address changes, not name changes. For a REAL ID where the current name doesn't match lawful presence documents, you must prove the legal name change with an acceptable document. For a Standard (non-REAL) ID, name may be changed with no documentation absent fraud.
Ordering your Massachusetts marriage certificate
State copies are ordered through the RVRS via Mass.gov; alternatively, order directly from the city/town clerk where the marriage was registered (e.g. Boston or Cambridge city clerk).
Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS), Massachusetts Department of Public HealthUpdating your Massachusetts voter registration
Massachusetts lets you update your registration online. Registration/update/party-change deadline is 5:00 p.m. on the 10th day before any election or town meeting. Online update requires an existing MA driver's license or state ID.
Update your registrationMassachusetts step-by-step guides
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 agencyMassachusetts: ordering a certified marriage certificate
- State agencyMassachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV): name change on a license or ID
- State agencyMassachusetts official voter registration page
- The lawM.G.L. c. 51, § 26Registration closes at 5 p.m. on the 10th day before an 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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