Texas Name Change Checklist After Marriage
Everything you need to change your name in Texas, in the exact order that keeps you from getting turned away. Build your personalized version free.
Checked against official Texas and federal sources in August 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
The correct order in Texas
Follow this sequence in Texas:
- 1. Certified marriage certificate: order copies from the County Clerk (certified marriage license copies are issued only by the county clerk of the county that issued the license, not by Texas DSHS).
- 2. Social Security (SS-5): free, and always first.
- 3. Wait 24–48 hours for the SSA record to sync.
- 4. Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS): update your license (about $11 (confirm with the agency)).
- 5. Passport: DS-82, DS-11, or DS-5504.
- 6. Voter registration & everyone else: bank, employer, insurers.
Mind the clock: Texas asks you to update your license within 30 days of your legal name change, so don't park this step for later. The law: Tex. Transp. Code § 521.054.
Every Texas step, in the right order
This page covers name change checklist. Your free checklist puts it with the other agencies, sequenced for Texas, so nothing gets done out of order.
Texas documents to gather
- 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
Good to know for Texas: 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.
What a name change costs in Texas
- Certified marriage certificate (3 copies, at typical prices): $30–$90
- Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
- Driver's license update (Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)): about $11 (confirm with the agency)
- Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
- Voter registration: Free
Most people spend roughly $41–$266 in Texas: on the low end if you skip the passport, on the high end with a full passport renewal and extra certificate copies.
Texas FAQs
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.
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