To change your name after marriage in South Carolina, you use your certified marriage certificate as the legal proof, then update your records in a specific order: Social Security first, then the SCDMV, then your passport, voter registration, employer, and financial accounts. Doing it in that sequence keeps the name on your Social Security record matched to everything downstream, which is what prevents tax refund holds, REAL ID snags, and payroll problems.
What the Marriage Certificate Actually Lets You Change
A South Carolina marriage certificate changes your last name only. You can take your spouse’s surname, hyphenate, or combine surnames, and either spouse can do it.1County of Greenville. Marriage License – Probate Court The certificate will not change your first or middle name, and it will not let you switch to an unrelated surname. Any of those changes requires a separate petition in Family Court.
Order Certified Copies First
Your officiant returns the signed license to the probate court in the county that issued it. That probate court files the marriage and issues certified copies, and DHEC also indexes every South Carolina marriage and can issue them on request.2South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 20 Chapter 1 – Section 20-1-350
Order three or four. Agencies want an original certified copy with a raised or colored stamp, not a photocopy, and having extras lets you file with several offices at once instead of waiting for one to return your only copy. Probate court fees run around $5 per copy but vary by county.
Step 1: Social Security
Update your Social Security record before touching anything else. Every other agency ultimately checks against SSA’s database, so if that record still shows your old name, updates elsewhere can bounce back or cause matching problems later.
Fill out Form SS-5, the Application for a Social Security Card, available on the SSA website. Write your new name exactly as it appears on the marriage certificate. Submit the form with a certified marriage certificate and a valid photo ID, either at your local Social Security office or by mail. In person, staff hand your originals back the same day; by mail, SSA returns them separately. There is no fee, and the new card typically arrives in 7 to 14 days.3Social Security Administration. Application for a Social Security Card
South Carolina is not one of the 21 states that let you complete this application online, so plan on an office visit or certified mail.4Social Security Administration. Just Married? Need to Change Your Name?
Step 2: SCDMV Driver’s License
South Carolina law requires you to notify the SCDMV of a name change within ten days.5South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 56-1-230 – Notification of Change of Address or Name Name changes have to be done in person at a branch, not online.
Bring your certified marriage certificate, your current driver’s license, and your Social Security card or a letter from SSA confirming the update. You can fill out Form 447-NC at the branch or download it in advance.6SCDMV. Identification Cards A name-change license is $10. Upgrading to a REAL ID at the same visit is $25 because it counts as a renewal.7SCDMV. Change My Address or Name
The clerk keeps your old license and issues a temporary driving certificate that works for driving and ID until the new card arrives. Check the spelling and address before you leave.
If You Want REAL ID
A REAL ID is required for domestic flights and entry to federal buildings, and the name-change visit is a good time to combine both. The catch is documentation. You need a full chain of documents linking your birth-certificate name to your current legal name; for most people, a birth certificate plus the marriage certificate is enough. Everything must be an original or a government-issued certified copy — no photocopies or scans.8SCDMV. REAL ID A valid U.S. passport already in your new legal name can substitute for the marriage certificate as your name-change document.
Step 3: Passport
Which form and fee apply depends on how recently your passport was issued.
If it was issued less than a year ago and your legal name changed within that same year, file Form DS-5504. There is no passport fee — only an optional $60 charge if you want expedited service.9U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport Mail the form with your most recent passport, a certified marriage certificate, and one passport photo.
If more than a year has passed, you are renewing, not correcting. Use Form DS-82 if you qualify for mail renewal, or Form DS-11 if you have to apply in person. An adult passport book renewal is $130, plus $60 for expedited service.10U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees Include your certified marriage certificate either way. Routine processing runs four to six weeks; expedited is two to three weeks.9U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport
If you have to travel while your passport is being updated, an updated driver’s license covers domestic flights. For international travel, carry the old passport with your certified marriage certificate to show customs the name connection.
Step 4: Voter Registration
South Carolina will not change your voter registration name automatically based on SSA or SCDMV updates. You have to submit it yourself.11South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 7 Chapter 5 – Section 7-5-186 Three ways to do it:
- Online through the State Election Commission’s website, but only after your SCDMV record shows the new name.
- By mail, using the back of your current voter registration card, sent to your county board of voter registration and elections.
- In person at your county voter registration office.
A new registration card arrives within a few weeks.12South Carolina Election Commission. Update Your Voter Registration Information
Employer, Payroll, and Taxes
Tell HR as soon as your Social Security card is updated. Your employer will change your payroll records and is required to record your new legal name on Supplement B of your Form I-9.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Recording Changes of Name and Other Identity Information for Current Employees Bringing your marriage certificate in handles it in one stop.
For taxes, the IRS matches the name and Social Security number on your return against SSA’s database. A mismatch flags the return and can hold up your refund. If you have not finished the SSA update before filing, file under your former name that year.14Internal Revenue Service. Name Changes and Social Security Number Matching Issues You can also tell the IRS about your new name on line 5 of Form 8822, but the SSA update is the one that matters.15Internal Revenue Service. Form 8822 Change of Address
Professional Licenses
South Carolina professional licenses are updated board by board, and most require a written request with a copy of your marriage certificate. Nurses submit the request to the South Carolina Board of Nursing by mail or email and note whether the birth or maiden name will be used as the middle name.16South Carolina Board of Nursing – SCLLR. Instructions to Change Name on License Teachers file the Request for Change/Action form with the Office of Educator Services, including their license ID, by mail, fax, or email to licensure@ed.sc.gov.17South Carolina Division of School Effectiveness, Office of Educator Services. Request for Change/Action For other professions, check with the relevant board under the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
Green Card Holders
Lawful permanent residents also need to update the Green Card by filing Form I-90 with USCIS, online or by mail.18U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) USCIS no longer accepts personal checks or money orders on paper filings; payment must be by credit card, debit card, or direct bank transfer. Conditional residents whose Green Card came through the marriage itself file Form I-751 to remove conditions rather than Form I-90.
Banks, Insurance, and Everything Else
Once your driver’s license shows the new name, work through the rest of your accounts. Most banks want you in person so they can capture a new signature; insurance carriers vary between phone updates and mailed documentation.
- Banks and credit unions: checking, savings, credit cards, and any loans, with the new ID and marriage certificate in hand.
- Insurance: health, auto, homeowner’s or renter’s, and life policies.
- Utilities and subscriptions: electric, water, internet, and phone.
- Vehicle title and registration through the SCDMV if you own a car.
Keep a running checklist and carry a certified copy of the marriage certificate for a while. Even after your license shows the new name, many institutions still want to see the certificate before they update their records.