Rhode Island Name Change Forms: Every Form and Where to File It

A name change in Rhode Island runs through federal forms and Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Vital Records (Simpson Hall, 6 Harrington Rd., Cranston, RI 02920). 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 Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (RI DMV) license application. This is the Rhode Island-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 Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (RI DMV) 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 Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (RI DMV). Details on the Rhode Island 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. Rhode Island also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Certified copy of marriage certificate (or court order) showing new name
• Current Rhode Island driver's license/ID
• Completed and signed LI-1 License/ID/Permit Application
• Proof that name was already updated with Social Security Administration (SSA change must be processed at least 24 hours prior)
• Proof of RI residency and identity documents if renewing as REAL ID

REAL ID note: Must update name with Social Security Administration first; allow 24 hours for SSA change to propagate before DMV will process. Name change is in-person only at an RI DMV branch (not AAA offices); bring current license and signed LI-1 License/ID/Permit Application plus proof of name change.

Good to know for Rhode Island: Certified copies of a marriage certificate can be ordered from the state Center for Vital Records (in person, by mail with the "Application for a Certified Copy of a Marriage or Civil Union Record," or online via VitalChek), or from the city/town clerk where the marriage was recorded. State fee is approximately $22 (walk-in) / $25 (mail), $18 for additional copies; processing by mail runs 6-8 weeks. Valid photo ID required.

Many Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (RI DMV) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a Rhode Island appointment.

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

Form SS-5. Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Rhode Island is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.

DS-82, routine service from Rhode Island
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 (Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (RI DMV)): $28.50 (duplicate/updated license)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $59–$284 in Rhode Island: 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 Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (RI DMV) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything Rhode Island does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.