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

A name change in Vermont runs through federal forms and Vermont 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 Vermont Department of Health, Vital Records Section (in partnership with Vermont.gov/VSARA online ordering service). 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 Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) license application. This is the Vermont-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 Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (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 Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Details on the Vermont 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. Vermont also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• 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-040)
• 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

REAL ID note: For REAL ID-compliant licenses/IDs, Vermont DMV must verify name and date of birth via Social Security Online Verification (SSOLV); you must update your record with the Social Security Administration before DMV can process the name change.

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.

Many Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a Vermont 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 Vermont matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. Vermont is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.

DS-82, routine service from Vermont
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 (Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)): about $29 (confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

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