Changing your last name after marriage in Alabama
Get your name change done. Enjoy being married.
In Alabama, a first STAR ID requires an ALEA Driver License examining office. Renewing or replacing a card you already have is a different service. Check which request you need before choosing where to go.
Already know you’d like a personal plan?
Doing it yourself.
Follow the official instructions, prepare the applications and keep track of the updates yourself.
Our free Alabama guide gives you a place to begin.
With Name & Next
A head start on the paperwork.
Which application applies to you? What documents should you have beside you? Does another update need to happen first?
Name & Next asks about your situation and brings the relevant guidance together, so you can start with more of those questions answered. Have what you’ll need in front of you, including the details worth checking before you submit.
Other kinds of help.
Some services fill selected applications or provide printed materials and mailing supplies. Check what’s included and what you still complete yourself.
Compare the optionsThe Alabama details
Get ready for the visit that fits your card.
For a first STAR ID, the residence documents matter too. If you use utility bills in your spouse’s name, ALEA calls for your marriage certificate.
Your plan helps you prepare for the credential and service you actually need, with the evidence to gather and any questions to confirm with the office. You can work on that preparation before making the trip.
Alabama STAR ID office and document information
State guidance checked .
See the help before you decide.
Here’s one update from the plan, with the next action, what you’ll need and the official link together.
Request your Social Security name update
Open SSA's name-change service to start the request or arrange the appointment it requires.
SSA name-change serviceWhat you’ll need
Original or issuing-agency certified marriage record; an ordinary photocopy or notarized copy is not enough.
See the rest of this preparation
- Current identity evidence accepted by SSA. If the marriage was more than two years ago or the marriage document cannot establish identity, SSA may also require identity evidence in the prior name.
- Citizenship or immigration evidence if SSA needs to establish or update that status. Enter identity numbers only with SSA.
The SSA service determines whether your request can be completed online or needs an appointment. SS-5 is a paper companion when that route calls for it.
Paper application, if SSA directs you to use it (SS-5)Product source review: .
Words you can make your own
Even the email is started.
When you’re ready to tell your employer, you have a place to start. Make the message your own.
“I'd also like to check whether benefits, retirement, my work email or the staff directory need separate requests.”
From the employer request in Name & Next. You adapt and send it.
Pick it up when you have a moment.
Your answers and progress stay together, so you can return to what’s next in the same browser. Keep track of what you’ve submitted and what’s finished, including work you started before buying.
Is Name & Next right for me?
For adult U.S. citizens living in Alabama and taking their spouse’s current last name unchanged after a marriage recorded in the United States. You can also buy before a planned U.S. wedding and use the same purchase afterward.
Check the full fit before buying
Any state credentials or vehicle records you want to update must already be Alabama records, with vehicle owners staying the same. Having no state credentials or vehicle records is fine. Interstate and ownership transfers, hyphenated or newly created names, divorce, court ordered changes and immigration routes are outside this plan. Read the full eligibility details.
If you have Alabama vehicle records but no Alabama license or ID, your plan provides preparation and questions for your local licensing official. Confirm the identity evidence and filing route it will accept before applying.
You can prepare before the wedding or while waiting for your certified marriage certificate. Official updates still depend on the recorded marriage and each agency’s requirements.
We signed an Alabama Marriage Certificate. Is it ready to use?
Check that a probate court has recorded it. Under Alabama’s current marriage system, the properly completed, signed and notarized form must reach an Alabama probate court within 30 days of the later spouse’s signature. Ask for the certified recorded copy your receiving agency requires. These marriage formation rules do not govern a marriage recorded elsewhere. Read Alabama’s certificate guidance.
Can I apply for my first STAR ID with my name change?
Use an ALEA Driver License examining office for a first STAR ID. County offices provide renewals and duplicates for existing credentials. Review the STAR ID document list before your visit. If you use utility bills in your spouse’s name as residence evidence, ALEA calls for your marriage certificate. See the STAR ID office information and document FAQ.
Can I request my Alabama name update by mail?
For some requests. DL-100 is limited to Alabama residents unable to visit an office or people temporarily out of state for listed reasons. It generally requires an Alabama photo and signature credential from the last four years. Name updates need copies of legal proof and the updated Social Security card. Confirm eligibility for your actual credential with ALEA, especially a current STAR ID, permit or commercial card. You cannot add STAR ID by mail. Read both pages of DL-100 and our free Alabama reference guide.
Your personal plan for changing your last name.
Preparation for your records, links to official forms and services, and messages you can make your own.
$48 USD once. No subscription.*
Agency and institution fees are separate.
Get my plan for $48Your complete digital plan opens after purchase confirmation. Nothing is shipped. Official forms and information are free; you’re paying for the personal plan and preparation.
Purchases are generally final. If something in the product isn’t working as described, contact us within 14 calendar days of purchase. We review material product issues under the purchase terms.
Name Day · The gift of Name & Next
A thoughtful gift for life after “I do.”
Add Name Day to your registry and let someone you love give you a personal plan for changing your last name. A little less to figure out after the wedding, with the details already thought through.
Your complete Name & Next plan, with a personal digital card from your guest.
$48, paid by your guest.*
Digital delivery. Print at home if you like. Nothing is shipped.
Add Name Day to my registryBuying for someone else? Give Name Day.Your plan, answers and progress stay private from the giver.
Have the help ready for your next step.
When you make time for your next update, have the preparation and official links ready, with messages you can make your own.
$48 USD once. No subscription.*
Get my plan for $48