Change Your Name on Your Social Security Card in Virginia

In Virginia, as everywhere in the U.S., your Social Security record is the anchor every other agency checks against. If you visit the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) before the SSA has processed your change, the names won't match and you'll be turned away. That's why Form SS-5 is always step one.

The SS-5 is completely free. Never pay a third party just to file it. You can complete it by mail or at a local Social Security office.

Virginia is one of the states where the SSA supports a fully online marriage name change. Sign in to (or create) a my Social Security account and follow the name-change prompts. You'll need a Virginia driver's license or state ID and your marriage certificate; there is nothing to mail, and you keep your documents.

Prefer paper, or changing your name after divorce? The mail-in and in-person SS-5 route still works everywhere.

To update your Social Security card you'll generally need:

• A certified copy of your marriage certificate (order yours from the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records (VDH-OVR))
• Proof of identity (your current Virginia driver's license or ID)
• A completed Form SS-5

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).

Your new card arrives in about 5–10 business days, but your record updates within roughly 24–48 hours, and that's what unblocks your Virginia driver's license. Read the Virginia DMV name change steps next, and mind the sync wait.