Changing your name after marriage in New York
What New York asks for, where your marriage certificate comes from, and the order that works. Every figure below is dated and linked to the agency that publishes it.
To change your name after marriage in New York you need a certified marriage certificate, then Social Security, then New York DMV.
Social Security comes first. Every state checks your new name against its record before issuing a license.
In New York, a certified marriage certificate comes from either the state vital records office or the county that issued your marriage license.
The state office charges $30.00 for one copy.
The marriage certificate New York wants to see
This is the part that differs by situation. Everything downstream of it is the same sequence whichever document you hold.
| What | Value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where to get it | either the state vital records office or the county that issued your marriage license New York State holds marriage records since 1881 for licenses purchased anywhere in the state except New York City. A New York City marriage has to be requested from the relevant borough's City Clerk office instead. | New York State Department of Health Vital Records, or the New York City Clerk for a New York City marriage | |
| What a copy costs | $30.00 $30 per copy by mail. Ordering online or by phone costs $45 plus a separate vendor processing fee. | New York State Department of Health Vital Records, or the New York City Clerk for a New York City marriage | |
| What New York DMV charges | $12.50 Amendment fee $12.50 for a license or permit. New York does not publish an amendment fee for a non-driver ID on its own fee pages, so check the schedule below or ask the DMV before you send a payment for one. | New York DMV |
If you married in another state, order from that state instead. The record sits where the license was filed, not where you live now.
What after marriage changes about it
- In New York, a certified marriage certificate comes from either the state vital records office or the county that issued your marriage license — New York State Department of Health Vital Records, or the New York City Clerk for a New York City marriage.
- The New York state office charges $30.00 for one certified copy.
- New York State holds marriage records since 1881 for licenses purchased anywhere in the state except New York City. A New York City marriage has to be requested from the relevant borough's City Clerk office instead.
- The license is the permission to marry and is issued before the wedding. The certificate is the record of it and is issued afterward. Agencies want the certificate.
- Social Security accepts a certified marriage document as evidence of the new name on form SS-5.
Source: New York State Department of Health Vital Records, or the New York City Clerk for a New York City marriage · checked
The sequence in New York
- Get a certified marriage certificate. Order more than one — several agencies want to see it and not all return it quickly.
- Submit form SS-5 to Social Security. It is free, and it has to be first.
- Apply at New York DMV once the Social Security record has updated.
- Update your passport, then your vehicle title, then your voter registration.
- Tell your bank, your employer, your insurers, your utilities and your subscriptions.
Questions people ask
- What does New York accept as proof of a name change after marriage?
- New York DMV asks for: Copies of your proof of the name change — a government-issued marriage certificate, a government-issued court order, an amended birth certificate, divorce papers that indicate a name change, or naturalization papers; A copy of your new Social Security card, in the name you are asking for; A copy of your current license, permit or non-driver ID.
- Is a marriage license the same as a marriage certificate?
- No. The license is the permission to marry and is issued before the wedding. The certificate is the record of it and is issued afterward. Agencies want the certificate.
- Can I go to New York DMV before Social Security?
- Do Social Security first — it’s the record most agencies check against, so getting it done first is what keeps the rest in step. A few states require it outright and say so on their own page.
All New York name change requirements · The national guide to changing your name after marriage
Everything above is free. The rest of the list is the work.
You can do all of this yourself with the links on this page — every underlying form is free. What we sell is the evening back: the official forms filled in from your answers, the steps in New York in the order that works, and a written letter for every bank, employer and insurer you have to tell.
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