How to Change Your Name After Marriage in Vermont
Here's exactly how to change your name after marriage in Vermont: the right documents, the right order, and the official Vermont links you'll need.
Checked against official Vermont and federal sources in August 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
The Vermont order of operations
The winning sequence in Vermont is: certified marriage certificate → Social Security (free, first) → wait 24–48 hours → Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) → passport → notify everyone. Each step verifies against the one before it, so order matters.
Every Vermont step, in the right order
This page covers name change after marriage. Your free checklist puts it with the other agencies, sequenced for Vermont, so nothing gets done out of order.
Step 1: Your certified marriage certificate
Order 3–5 certified copies from the Vermont Department of Health, Vital Records Section (in partnership with Vermont.gov/VSARA online ordering service). Photocopies aren't accepted.
Good to know for Vermont: Certified marriage certificate costs $12.00 per copy when ordered online through Vermont.gov (optional $14.50 expedited shipping); standard mail delivery takes about 5-7 business days. Copies can also be ordered by mail from the Vital Records Section (P.O. Box 70, 108 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05402-0070) or in person at the Town/City Clerk where the marriage was recorded.
Step 2–4: Social Security, then the DMV
File the free SS-5 with Social Security first, wait 24–48 hours, then update your license at the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) (typically about $29 (confirm with the agency)). Bring:
- Original or certified copy of marriage license/certificate (or civil union certificate, or court order showing new name)
- Completed Name/Address Change Form (DMV form #VL-021, per the DMV name-change page, checked 2026-08)
- Updated Social Security Administration record reflecting new name (required before DMV can process a REAL ID-compliant license/ID)
- Current Vermont driver's license or ID card
- Valid photo ID or other proof of identity if also updating voter registration for the first time
Mind the clock: Vermont asks you to update your license within 30 days of your legal name change, so don't park this step for later. The law: 23 V.S.A. § 205.
Step 5–6: Passport, voter registration & everyone else
Update your passport, then your Vermont voter registration (Vermont has same-day voter registration: eligible persons may register or update registration (including a name change) online, by mail, at the town/city clerk's office, or in person up to and including Election Day itself.), and finally your bank, employer, and insurers.
Vermont 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 agencyVermont: ordering a certified marriage certificate
- State agencyVermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV): name change on a license or ID
- The law23 V.S.A. § 205Notify the Commissioner in writing within 30 days of a change of legal name.
- State agencyVermont official voter registration page
- The law17 V.S.A. § 2144(b)No pre-election cutoff: you can apply at the polling place on Election Day.
- 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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