How to Change Your Name on a Driver's License or State ID Card

How to Change Your Name on a Driver's License or State ID Card

To change your name on your driver's license or state ID card, you must visit a branch office and present:

• Your valid driver's license or state ID card
• Proof of the name change. You’ll need to bring in a certified name-change document, such as your marriage license or court order. Multiple documents may be needed if your name has changed more than once. Name-change documents must show both the changed name and the previous name. Divorce decrees may be used if they are certified (copies aren't accepted) and if they show the changed name and the previous name.
• The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires proof of Legal Presence when correcting a commercial driver's license.

A fee will be charged to correct your name and a new photograph will be taken.  If your driver's license or state ID card is due to expire within a few months, you may renew it early.

If you don't inform the Social Security Administration of your name change, the Department of State can't process your driver's license or state ID card application. The department verifies all names and Social Security numbers before issuing a license or ID card. If your name and date of birth don't match with what is on file at the Social Security Administration, your application will be denied. To process a name change with the Social Security Administration, you must provide proof of your identity, legal presence and name change. Additional proof may be requested.

Failing to inform the Social Security Administration of your name change will delay the processing of your license or state ID card application at renewal. The department verifies all names and Social Security numbers before issuing a license or ID card. If your name and date of birth don't match with what is on file at the Social Security Administration, your renewal application will be denied.