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

A name change in Texas runs through federal forms and Texas 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 (certified marriage license copies are issued only by the county clerk of the county that issued the license, not by Texas DSHS). 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 Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) license application. This is the Texas-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 Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) 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 Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Details on the Texas 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. Texas also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• 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

REAL ID note: 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.

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.

Many Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a Texas 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 Texas matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Texas is one of six states routed to the Texas processing center.

DS-82, routine service from Texas
National Passport Processing Center
PO Box 640155
Irving, TX 75064-0155

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 (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.

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