Alabama · State reference
How to change your name after marriage in Alabama
For adult U.S. citizens taking their spouse’s current surname unchanged after a marriage recorded in the United States.
Have one or more certified copies of your marriage certificate from the office that recorded the marriage. Update your Alabama license or ID. Review the route that fits your credential and local office.
Before updating your state credential
Update Social Security first and have the updated card for the Alabama name change. You can prepare documents while waiting.
Before you begin
- Have the updated Social Security card for your Alabama name change. No numeric waiting period was verified.
- Use an ALEA office for a STAR ID name change. Confirm eligibility before relying on mail.
- Ask your local licensing official about both the corrected title application and registration update. You do not need to assume the new title must arrive first.
- Update by the fifteenth day before an election. If the deadline has passed, contact your county Board of Registrars promptly about your existing record.
- The paper update permits an optional photo ID copy. Identification used when voting is a separate requirement.
Which marriage certificate do I need?
Have one or more certified copies of your marriage certificate from the office that recorded the marriage. Later steps in this plan generally ask for a certified copy, so it is the first thing to have in hand.
What to have ready
- The jurisdiction where the marriage was legally recorded
- A method of payment that office accepts
- Any identification that office asks for
How do I update Social Security?
Update your Social Security record, which employers, banks, and agencies check your name against. This record is referenced by several later steps, so many people handle it early in the sequence.
What to have ready
- Certified marriage certificate
- Current identity documentation
- Anything the agency’s own instructions list
Which license or ID instructions apply?
Update your Alabama license or ID. Review the route that fits your credential and local office. Prepare while SSA updates the name; have the updated card before the Alabama credential submission.
Preparation details are not listed in this public guide.
When should I update my passport?
Review the current official passport guidance and decide when to update. Passport timing interacts with any travel you have planned, so it is worth reviewing alongside your other identity documents rather than last.
Preparation details are not listed in this public guide.
Read the passport name change guideHow do I update my vehicle title?
Update your Alabama vehicle title. Review the route that fits your credential and local office. Prepare now and confirm the applicable route before submission.
Preparation details are not listed in this public guide.
How do I update my vehicle registration?
Update your Alabama vehicle registration. Review the route that fits your credential and local office. Prepare now and confirm the applicable route before submission.
Preparation details are not listed in this public guide.
How do I update voter registration?
Update your Alabama voter registration. Review the route that fits your credential and local office. Aim for the ordinary fifteenth day cutoff; contact the county promptly about an existing record near an election.
Preparation details are not listed in this public guide.
Requirements, timing and costs
Use the details below to identify the instructions that apply to your records.
Before you begin
Does Social Security need to come first?
Required before the state credential Check the conditions for your route.
When was this guide reviewed?
State profile reviewed . Each source retains its own review date. A design update does not mean the sources were reviewed again.
More context
From state guidance to your own plan
Bring your records into one plan
Your answers about your documents, travel, work, accounts and vehicle shape a personal preview of the records that may apply and where to begin. No payment is required to see it.
The complete Name & Next plan adds preparation guidance and a place to track your progress for one payment of $48, with no subscription. You complete your own updates. Government and institution fees are separate.