West Virginia Name Change Forms: Every Form and Where to File It

A name change in West Virginia runs through federal forms and West Virginia 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 West Virginia Vital Registration Office (WV Department of Health), 350 Capitol Street, Room 165, Charleston, WV 25301; certified copies also available from the County Clerk in the county where the marriage license was issued. 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 West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (WV DMV) license application. This is the West Virginia-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 West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (WV 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 West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (WV DMV). Details on the West Virginia 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. West Virginia also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Certified marriage certificate showing the new legal name
• Original or certified copy of birth certificate (or valid U.S. passport)
• Current/updated Social Security card reflecting the new name
• Current WV driver's license or ID card to be replaced
• Two documents proving current WV residency (utility bill, voter registration card, rental agreement, etc.)

REAL ID note: WV DMV requires in-person application for any legal name change on a license/ID (no mail or online option). Bring proof of name change plus standard identity/residency documents; REAL ID upgrades need additional proof-of-residency documents per the DMV's Acceptable Documents list.

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 West Virginia matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. West Virginia is routed to the Pennsylvania processing center.

DS-82, routine service from West Virginia
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 (West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (WV DMV)): $0.50–$23.50 (varies; confirm with the agency)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $31–$279 in West Virginia: 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 West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (WV DMV) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything West Virginia does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.