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Name change after marriage in Maine: checklist and DMV steps
The order to change your name after marriage in Maine, and what the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Secretary of State) asks for, from its own pages. Each step links its source.
How to change your name after marriage in Maine
Get certified copies of your marriage certificate first. Then change your name with Social Security, then at the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Secretary of State) for your license or ID, then on your passport, then with your bank, employer and everything else.
The steps, in order
- Certified copies of your marriage certificate. Copies of the marriage certificate come from the municipal clerk who issued the license or from Maine CDC Vital Records. A fee applies. (Source: maine.gov, checked October 30, 2026)
- Social Security. You change your name with Social Security by requesting a replacement card. Depending on your situation you may be able to request it online; if not, you make an appointment at a local office. (Source: ssa.gov, checked October 26, 2026)
- Your Maine driver's license or ID. The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Secretary of State): what its pages say is below.
- Your passport. The U.S. Department of State handles passports. Its site did not let us read it automatically when we checked, so open its passport pages for the form that fits your passport.
- Everything else. Bank and credit accounts, your employer, insurance, voter registration and the rest: the name change after marriage checklist lists them in order.
USAGov lists the agencies to tell after a name change, including Social Security, your state driver license office and the U.S. passport office, and says to use certified copies of documents such as a marriage certificate as proof. (Source: usa.gov, checked October 26, 2026)
Changing your name at the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Secretary of State)
From the agency’s own pages, last checked October 30, 2026. Open the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Secretary of State) page. Fees and rules change: confirm on that page before you go.
- What to do
- Not stated on the pages we read. Check the agency page. Official page
- Documents accepted as proof of the new name
- Marriage license, divorce decree or court order, showing a clear trail of name changes from your identity document to your current name. Stated for REAL ID. (Source: maine.gov, checked October 30, 2026)
- Fee
- Not stated on the pages we read. Check the agency page. Official page
- In person or online
- Online renewal or replacement is not available if you changed your name since your last renewal; you must visit a BMV office. (Source: maine.gov, checked October 30, 2026)
- Social Security first
- Not stated on the pages we read. Check the agency page. Official page
- Deadline
- Notify the BMV of a name change within 30 days of the change. (Source: maine.gov, checked October 30, 2026)
Common questions
What documents do I need to change my name at the Maine DMV?
Marriage license, divorce decree or court order, showing a clear trail of name changes from your identity document to your current name. Stated for REAL ID.
Is there a deadline to change my name on my Maine license?
Notify the BMV of a name change within 30 days of the change.
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