Change your name in Texas
The exact steps, documents, and official Texas links to change your name after marriage or divorce, in the correct order.
DMV / license agency
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)License update fee
$11 (standard replacement/duplicate license or ID fee applies to name changes)
Marriage certificate
County Clerk (certified marriage license copies are issued only by the county clerk of the county that issued the license, not by Texas DSHS)Voter deadline
Texas's 30-day cutoff is for registering for the first time. To update your name, use the Texas.gov online portal (you will need your VUID). The state's page lists no separate deadline for updates, so do it well before an election, and ask your county elections office if one is close.
To see how Texas's license fee compares with every other state, use our name change fee table.
Instructions verified August 2026 against official Texas government sites. How we verify
DMV appointment optionsWhat Texas asks you to bring
Documents for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Original certified marriage license, divorce decree, annulment, or DSHS marriage verification letter (proof of name change)
- Current Texas driver license or ID card
- Proof of current residential address (e.g., utility bill, lease) if not already on file
- Social Security number verification (SSN card or W-2/pay stub) if not previously provided to DPS
- Certified English translation if the name-change document is in a foreign language
Online or in person
Texas does not accept the license name change online. A visit to Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is required.
REAL ID in Texas
Must visit a driver license office within 30 days of the name change; bring an original marriage license, DSHS marriage verification letter, divorce decree, or annulment (copies not accepted). Non-English documents require a certified translation.
Ordering your Texas marriage certificate
Texas DSHS Vital Statistics does not issue certified copies of marriage licenses; it only offers non-legal marriage verification letters online via Texas.gov. Certified copies must be ordered directly from the county clerk in the county where the marriage license was issued; DSHS provides a directory of local offices at dshs.texas.gov/vital-statistics/order-records-locally, but fees/procedures vary by county.
County Clerk (certified marriage license copies are issued only by the county clerk of the county that issued the license, not by Texas DSHS)Updating your Texas voter registration
Texas lets you update your registration online. Texas's 30-day cutoff is for registering for the first time. To update your name, use the Texas.gov online portal (you will need your VUID). The state's page lists no separate deadline for updates, so do it well before an election, and ask your county elections office if one is close.
Update your registrationTexas 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 agencyTexas: ordering a certified marriage certificate
- State agencyTexas Department of Public Safety (DPS): name change on a license or ID
- State agencyTexas Department of Public Safety (DPS): appointments
- The lawTex. Transp. Code § 521.054Notify the department within 30 days of a name change and apply for a duplicate license.
- State agencyTexas official voter registration page
- 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.
Ready to change your name in Texas?
Build your free, personalized checklist, sequenced correctly for your state.