Changing your last name after marriage in Louisiana
Get your name change done. Enjoy being married.
For a Louisiana marriage certificate, start with the parish that issued the license, even if you live somewhere else now. Orleans Parish records and records from other parishes go through different offices.
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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana details
Know which office has what you need.
Vital Records handles Orleans Parish marriage records within its 50 year retention period. For other Louisiana parishes, request a certified copy from the clerk of court where the license was issued.
Your OMV visit is a different part of the work. Name & Next helps you identify the documents to bring, including your updated Social Security card and original certified marriage evidence. You can see what needs to happen first and what to gather, with the relevant official instructions close at hand.
Our Louisiana reference guide has the fuller instructions.
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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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.
For Louisiana vehicle records, your plan prepares the questions to confirm your request with OMV. Published instructions do not establish a complete process for this surname correction, so you will need the office’s guidance before submitting.
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.
Do all Louisiana marriage certificates come from Vital Records?
No. Vital Records handles Orleans Parish marriage records within its 50 year retention period. For a license issued in another Louisiana parish, request the certified copy from that parish’s clerk of court. Older Orleans records go to the State Archives. The state marriage records page explains the distinction. Use the place the license was issued, rather than where you live now. For a marriage recorded outside Louisiana, contact the issuing jurisdiction.
What should I have ready for a Louisiana license name change?
Update your Social Security record first. The OMV name policy requires the updated Social Security card and original certified marriage certificate. Its personal driver license FAQ also lists your current license, Louisiana residence proof and insurance for vehicles you own, and requires a vision test. Prepare for your actual credential and service before attending. The approximate SSA processing interval is not a guaranteed waiting period.
Can I update my Louisiana voter name without using online registration?
Yes. The official paper application supports an update to your existing registration. Include your current full name and former registered name, complete the applicable fields, then sign, date and return it to your parish registrar. If an election is close, ask about your current registration and voting arrangements. If your record has a protected address or confidentiality arrangement, contact the registrar privately before using an ordinary form.
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