1. The first step is to obtain your marriage CERTIFICATE from the court it was filed at. Your officiant may have mailed your license to the court, or you may have elected to take it yourself. Either way, it must be filed at the court in order to receive your marriage certificate. If you are hyphenating your last name, you must also have a certified copy of your marriage application as well.
2 .Take your marriage certificate to apply for your new Social Security card immediately. You will be required to show it when you apply for a new driver’s license, tax and other important documents. Download the SS-5 name change form at the Social Security Administration’s page on Marriage, Divorce, and Name Changes. Bring it to your local Social Security office with your driver’s license, current Social Security card and marriage license. It can take 10 days for the administration to update tax forms via the Internal Revenue Service, and up to two weeks for your new card to arrive.
3. Once you have your new Social Security card documentation, you will be able to update your driver’s license and vehicle registration. All records at the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles will reflect the name change. Bring your marriage license, your new Social Security card, and your current driver’s license in person to the DMV.
4. Contact your employer with your new Social Security card and driver’s license and ask that all tax documents regarding your itemized deductions, such as W4, are correctly updated. IRS form #8822 “Change of Address” should also be completed, if applicable. It is available from the Internal Revenue Service and typically takes four to six weeks to process. It is important that the name on your Social Security card should match the name on your tax returns.
5. Contact the Department of State to update your passport. You must mail your current passport, the DS-5504 form, if your passport was issued less than a year previous, or form DS-82, if your passport was issued more than a year previous. You should include your marriage certificate. If your passport was issued more than 90 days previous you will need to include recent “passport ready” photos. You will be charged the current rate for renewing your passport. Checks and money orders payable to the U.S. Department of State are accepted if paying by mail.
6. The United States Postal Service does not require you to file paperwork regarding your new name, but if you move to a new address after your wedding, fill out the proper change of address forms. Be sure to list your old name with your old address. You will need a valid credit card or debit card plus a valid e-mail address if you wish to complete the form online. For more information, contact or visit your local Post Office.
7. Update your voter registration card. You can update this on GA's My Voter Page
8. You can also use your marriage certificate, along with your Social Security number if needed, to update:
You can also contact your bank and credit card companies to complete their particular name change procedures.
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