How to Change Your Name After Marriage in Pennsylvania

The winning sequence in Pennsylvania is: certified marriage certificate → Social Security (free, first) → wait 24–48 hours → Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Driver and Vehicle Services → passport → notify everyone. Each step verifies against the one before it, so order matters.

Order 3–5 certified copies from the County Clerk of Orphans' Court / Register of Wills (in the county where the marriage license was issued); NOT the PA Department of Health, which only handles birth and death records. Photocopies aren't accepted.

Good to know for Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania does not issue marriage certificates at the state level. Certified copies must be ordered directly from the Clerk of Orphans' Court in the specific county where the marriage license was issued; the linked pacourts.us page is the official statewide directory of all 67 county Clerk of Orphans' Court offices with their contact information.

File the free SS-5 with Social Security first, wait 24–48 hours, then update your license at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Driver and Vehicle Services (typically a standard replacement-license fee (not published; confirm with the agency)). Bring:

• Certified copy of marriage certificate (from the county Clerk of Orphans' Court, not a decorative copy)
• Current Pennsylvania driver's license or photo ID
• Completed form DL-80 (Application to Renew/Replace/Change/Correct a Non-Commercial Driver's License) or MV-41A for name correction
• Proof of Social Security number update (recommended to update SSA record first)
• Two proofs of PA residency and additional identity documents if upgrading to/maintaining a REAL ID-compliant license

Update your passport, then your Pennsylvania voter registration (Name-change updates can be submitted online, by mail, or in person anytime. Changes submitted more than 15 days before an election take effect for that election; changes submitted 15 days or less before an election take effect starting with the next election.), and finally your bank, employer, and insurers.