Colorado · State reference
How to change your name after marriage in Colorado
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. Renew your existing Colorado credential in person. If you have a Social Security number, SSA must have recorded your new name first.
Before updating your state credential
If you have a Social Security number, update the SSA record before your Colorado credential visit. The published wait descriptions differ; confirm the record is updated instead of relying on a timer.
Before you begin
- If you choose a legal name change, Colorado DMV says to renew the credential in the new name within 30 days of that change. This is not automatically a deadline measured from your wedding date.
- If you have an SSN, SSA must have recorded the change before the credential visit. The name change page describes 24 to 48 hours; the FAQ describes 24 to 48 business hours. Neither establishes completion by a timer or requires receipt of the replacement card.
- County vehicle transaction options, signatures and fees can differ. A corrected title application, an updated title record, an updated registration and delivery of a paper title are different events.
- The Colorado voter form directs name updates to the paper form. Having access to general online voter registration does not establish an online name update route.
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?
Renew your existing Colorado credential in person. If you have a Social Security number, SSA must have recorded your new name first. Prepare the name change evidence and appointment now. If you have an SSN, wait to attend until SSA has recorded the change.
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?
Correct the name of the same existing owner through your county motor vehicle office. Track the title result separately from the registration result, even if the office handles both together. Gather the title, name change and identity evidence while you confirm county instructions and any lender arrangements.
Preparation details are not listed in this public guide.
How do I update my vehicle registration?
Ask your county to update your existing registration and confirm how it coordinates the title correction. Boulder County requires the title name to change for the registration name to change. Prepare both vehicle records together and confirm which title action your county requires before it changes the registration.
Preparation details are not listed in this public guide.
How do I update voter registration?
Use the Colorado Voter Registration Form to update your name with your county clerk and recorder, then check the resulting record. For a mailed ballot in the next election, the form says the update must be received at least eight days before Election Day. Otherwise, follow its instructions for voting in person.
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 if you have a Social Security number 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.