How to Change Your Name After Marriage in Virginia
Here's exactly how to change your name after marriage in Virginia: the right documents, the right order, and the official Virginia links you'll need.
Checked against official Virginia and federal sources in August 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
The Virginia order of operations
The winning sequence in Virginia is: certified marriage certificate → Social Security (free, first) → wait 24–48 hours → Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) → passport → notify everyone. Each step verifies against the one before it, so order matters.
Every Virginia step, in the right order
This page covers name change after marriage. Your free checklist puts it with the other agencies, sequenced for Virginia, so nothing gets done out of order.
Step 1: Your certified marriage certificate
Order 3–5 certified copies from the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (VDH-OVR). Photocopies aren't accepted.
Good to know for Virginia: 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).
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 Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) (typically about $20 (confirm with the agency)). Bring:
- 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
Step 5–6: Passport, voter registration & everyone else
Update your passport, then your Virginia voter registration (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.), and finally your bank, employer, and insurers.
Virginia 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 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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