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

A name change in Pennsylvania runs through federal forms and Pennsylvania 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 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. 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 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Driver and Vehicle Services license application. This is the Pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Driver and Vehicle Services 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 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Driver and Vehicle Services. Details on the Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• 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

REAL ID note: If you hold or want a REAL ID-compliant license, PennDOT requires additional proof of identity/residency after a name change; see the separate "Changing Your Name on a REAL ID" guidance page (pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/real-id/name-changes-real-id).

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.

Many Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Driver and Vehicle Services locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a Pennsylvania appointment.

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

Form SS-5. Take or mail it to a local Social Security office. There is no central address for the SS-5, so use the SSA office locator to find the one that serves you.

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

DS-82, routine service from Pennsylvania
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 (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Driver and Vehicle Services): a standard replacement-license fee (not published; confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Your total in Pennsylvania depends mostly on the DMV fee and whether you update a passport. Skipping the passport keeps it under about $100 for most people; a paid passport renewal adds $130–$165.

The forms themselves cost nothing. What you pay for is certified copies, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Driver and Vehicle Services fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Pennsylvania does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.