North Dakota Name Change Forms: Every Form and Where to File It
There is no single North Dakota name change form. There are four or five, they come from three different places, and this page links each one directly.
Official link
Download Form SS-5 (free, ssa.gov)Every form you need in North Dakota
A name change in North Dakota runs through federal forms and North Dakota 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 County Clerk of Court / County Recorder (varies by county); marriage records are issued at the county level, not by the state Dept. of Health and Human Services. 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 North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) license application. This is the North Dakota-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 North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) 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 North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT). Details on the North Dakota 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.
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Documents the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) asks for
Filling in the form is half of it. North Dakota also wants supporting documents at the counter:
- Certified marriage certificate (or divorce decree / court order with seal showing new legal name)
- Current North Dakota driver's license or state ID
- Valid proof of identity/residency documents if REAL ID compliance is being obtained at the same visit
- Payment for the $3.00 name-change duplicate fee
REAL ID note: Must visit any ND Driver License site in person within 10 days of the name change; bring certified marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order showing the new legal name. For a REAL ID-compliant credential, additional proof of identity/residency documents are required per NDDOT's REAL ID checklist.
Many North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a North Dakota appointment.
Where to send each form
Two of these go in the mail, and they do not go to the same place.
Form SS-5. North Dakota 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 North Dakota matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. North Dakota is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.
DS-82, routine service from North Dakota
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.
What these forms cost in North Dakota
- Certified marriage certificate (3 copies): $30–$90
- Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
- Driver's license update (North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT)): about $3 (confirm with the agency)
- Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
- Voter registration: Free
Most people spend roughly $33–$258 in North Dakota: 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 North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything North Dakota does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.
North Dakota FAQs
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