---
title: "Changing Your Name in NJ After Marriage or Divorce: In Order"
description: "How to change your name in New Jersey after marriage, a civil union or divorce: certified copies, Social Security, the MVC, your passport and everyone else…"
url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/notary/name-change-new-jersey"
---

Name change

# Changing your name in New Jersey, in the right order

## Overview

Do it in the wrong order and you end up with a license or tax return in a name Social Security doesn't recognize. Here's the order, with the current fees.

✓ New Jersey commissioned notary, no. 50244803, insured for errors and omissions. [See the credentials](/about/credentials)

- ### Get certified copies Order certified copies of your marriage or civil union certificate from the town registrar or the State. The State charges $25 for one and $2 for each extra copy ordered together. A plain-paper "certification" isn't accepted for legal purposes. ([NJ Vital Statistics](https://www.nj.gov/health/vital/order-vital/fees/)) After a divorce, your judgment needs to allow you to resume your former name.

- ### Social Security first File Form SS-5, which is free. Bring originals or certified copies: Social Security doesn't accept photocopies or notarized copies, and it returns your documents. The new card comes in about 5 to 10 business days. ([SSA](https://www.ssa.gov/life-events/change-name))

- ### Then the MVC Name changes are walk-in at any Licensing Center. Bring the certified document and your 6 Points of ID. The fee is $11. For REAL ID, your Social Security record has to show the new name first. ([MVC](https://www.nj.gov/mvc/drivertopics/namechange.htm), [fees](https://www.nj.gov/mvc/license/licfees.htm))

- ### Your passport If it was issued less than a year before the change, Form DS-5504 by mail is free. Otherwise it's usually a DS-82 renewal by mail ($130 for a book), or a DS-11 in person. ([State Department fees](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/fees.html))

- ### Everyone else The IRS gets your name from Social Security, so file your next return in the name Social Security has. ([IRS](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/marriage-means-making-changes-before-next-filing-season)) Then update your employer, banks, cards, insurance, retirement accounts and beneficiary forms, utilities and voter registration.

## Where a notary comes in

Not at Social Security, which won't take notarized copies. But some banks, lenders and employers ask for a signed name-change affidavit or their own form notarized, and the State's vital records office asks for a notarized letter if you want a record mailed somewhere other than the address on your ID. [Book a notary](/notary/), in person or online.

Printable kit

### New Jersey Name Change Kit

The order checklist, a fill-in request letter for banks and others, a who-to-tell checklist and a tracker.

[See what's inside ($15)](/toolkits/nj-name-change-kit) [Free sample](/toolkits/nj-name-change-kit#free-starter)14-day full refund

General information, checked November 2026. Not legal advice. MCC Solutions is not a law firm.

## Want us to handle it?

A runner files your papers in person at the clerk's window and sends you a scan of the stamped copy. We file what you prepared; we don't give legal advice.

**Price:** In New Jersey: from $75 per filing, court fees at cost. Starting rates. Your exact price is quoted after we confirm a local notary/runner, before you pay. Outside New Jersey it goes through our contractor network: quote-based, confirmed before any work starts, and booked once a local contractor accepts.

[Request a court filing](/notary/court-filing#request)

## Questions

**What do I change first after getting married?**

Social Security. The MVC, your employer and the IRS all check against it.

**How much does it cost to change my name on my NJ license?**

$11 at an MVC Licensing Center, walk-in. Bring a certified name-change document and your 6 Points of ID.

**Can I use a photocopy of my marriage certificate?**

Not at Social Security, the MVC or for a passport. They want an original or a certified copy.

**Do I need a court order to go back to my maiden name after divorce?**

Not if your judgment of divorce allows it. If it doesn't, you can ask the court to add it with a post-judgment motion.

## Need a notary? Send it to the desk.

[Book Now](/notary/#order)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)