Change your name in Virginia
The exact steps, documents, and official Virginia links to change your name after marriage or divorce, in the correct order.
DMV / license agency
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)License update fee
$20 (per DMV fee chart; must visit a customer service center to complete after starting online)
Marriage certificate
Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (VDH-OVR)Voter deadline
Register or update your registration (including a name change) by 11 days before the election. Miss the deadline? Virginia offers same-day registration in person, with your ballot cast provisionally.
To see how Virginia's license fee compares with every other state, use our name change fee table.
Instructions verified August 2026 against official Virginia government sites. How we verify
DMV appointment optionsWhat Virginia asks you to bring
Documents for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
- Certified copy of marriage certificate (or divorce decree/court order) showing the name change
- Updated Social Security card / confirmation that SSA records reflect new name (required before DMV visit)
- Current Virginia driver's license or ID card to surrender
- Completed online DMV name-change transaction confirmation
- Proof of residency if REAL ID compliance is being updated
Online or in person
You can start the Virginia name change online, but you still have to visit a DMV customer service center to finish it, and your name has to be updated with Social Security first.
REAL ID in Virginia
You must first process your name change with the Social Security Administration before starting the DMV name change (allow the usual 24-48 hours for records to sync); bring certified proof of name change and current photo ID to the in-person visit.
Ordering your Virginia marriage certificate
Marriage certificates (records since 1936) can be ordered online through VDH's online system, by mail to the Office of Vital Records (PO Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000), or in person; certified copies also available from the circuit court clerk in the city/county where the license was issued. Fee is $15.00 per certified copy (effective July 1, 2026).
Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (VDH-OVR)Updating your Virginia voter registration
Virginia lets you update your registration online. Register or update your registration (including a name change) by 11 days before the election. Miss the deadline? Virginia offers same-day registration in person, with your ballot cast provisionally.
Update your registrationVirginia 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 agencyVirginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (VDH-OVR): certified copies
- State agencyVirginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV): name change on a license or ID
- State agencyVirginia official voter registration page
- The lawVa. Code § 24.2-416(A)Records close during the 10 days before the election, so the last day is the 11th day before. In-person same-day registration is allowed through Election Day (§ 24.2-420.1).
- 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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