Just married in Georgia? Congratulations. Changing your name here runs through a handful of Georgia-specific offices: your county Probate Court for the marriage record, the Department of Driver Services (DDS) for your license, and your county tag office for the car. Here is exactly how to do it, in order, with what it costs and how long it takes.
Which Married Names Can You Take in Georgia?
Yes, with no court order (your certified marriage certificate is the legal proof):
- Take your spouse’s last name.
- Move your maiden name into the middle position.
- Keep your current name (nothing to do).
Needs an extra document or the court:
- A hyphenated married name on your Georgia driver’s license: if you married in Georgia after 1982, DDS requires a certified copy of the marriage-license application showing the hyphen, not just the certificate. The hyphen has to be on record from license time, so decide before the wedding.
- A brand-new invented surname or a first-name change (a name the marriage does not create) needs a petition in your county Superior Court.
Step 1: Get Certified Copies From Your Probate Court
Georgia keeps marriage records at the county level, so this is your first stop:
- Go to the Probate Court of the county that issued your marriage license. Georgia has 159 counties, each with its own Probate Court, and another county cannot pull your record.
- Request certified copies in person (often same-day for walk-ins), by mail, or online where your county offers it.
- The base fee is $10 per certified copy statewide. Ordering online or through a vendor can add a convenience fee (for example, a digital copy in Chatham County runs $18.90), so the counter or mail is usually cheapest.
- Order 2 certified copies, since Social Security and DDS each want an original.
Step 2: Update Social Security First
Do Social Security first, because Georgia DDS verifies your new name against Social Security’s records before it will change your license. Good news for Georgia newlyweds: this is now an online job for most people. If you are only taking your spouse’s last name, you can change it entirely through your personal my Social Security account (sign in, choose Replace Your Social Security Card, and follow the marriage name-change steps). Social Security suggests waiting about 30 days after the wedding so your Georgia marriage record is available to verify electronically.
If you are changing more than your last name (say, your middle name too), the online path will not finish it: file Form SS-5 in person at a Social Security office with your certified marriage certificate. Either way, the new card (same number) arrives in about 2 to 3 weeks, and after an online change you should wait a day or two before your DDS visit.
Georgia has 32 Social Security field offices if you need to go in person:
| Office | Address | City | ZIP | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 1522 W 3rd Ave | Albany | 31707 | (877) 319-0733 |
| Athens | 1650 Prince Avenue | Athens | 30606 | (866) 964-3294 |
| Atlanta West | 3800 Camp Creek Pkwy | Atlanta | 30331 | (877) 828-1694 |
| Atlanta-D/T | 401 W Peachtree St Nw | Atlanta | 30308 | (866) 931-9946 |
| Augusta | 115 Robert C Daniel Jr Pkwy | Augusta | 30909 | (877) 616-2523 |
| Brunswick | 134 Juniper Ct | Brunswick | 31520 | (866) 964-6563 |
| Columbus | 7263 North Lake Dr | Columbus | 31909 | (877) 784-3688 |
| Cordele | 510 E 15th Ave | Cordele | 31015 | (888) 225-8869 |
| Covington | 9180 Covington By Pass Rd | Covington | 30014 | (877) 873-9106 |
| Dalton | 301 Point North Pl | Dalton | 30720 | (866) 593-5681 |
| Decatur | 3554 Covington Hwy | Decatur | 30032 | (877) 626-9909 |
| Dublin | 919 Hillcrest Pkwy | Dublin | 31021 | (888) 655-6438 |
| Gainesville | 2565 Thompson Brdg Rd | Gainesville | 30501 | (866) 331-2309 |
| Griffin | 1548 Flynt St | Griffin | 30223 | (866) 964-1005 |
| Gwinnett | 4365 Shackleford Rd | Norcross | 30093 | (877) 803-6320 |
| Kennesaw | 200 Chastain Center Blvd | Kennesaw | 30144 | (866) 964-4690 |
| Lagrange | 1300 Lafayette Pkwy | Lagrange | 30241 | (866) 836-6744 |
| Macon | 3530 Riverside Drive | Macon | 31210 | (888) 759-3917 |
| Milledgeville | 109 Cypress Corners | Milledgeville | 31061 | (866) 348-5817 |
| Morrow | 6665 Park Place | Morrow | 30260 | (866) 331-2215 |
| Newnan | 246 Bullsboro Dr | Newnan | 30263 | (855) 863-3561 |
| Rome | 480 Riverside Pkwy Ne | Rome | 30161 | (866) 964-1006 |
| Savannah | 325 W Montgomery Xrd | Savannah | 31406 | (866) 366-4923 |
| Statesboro | 1050 Brannen St | Statesboro | 30461 | (866) 748-2088 |
| Thomasville | 1916 Smith Avenue | Thomasville | 31792 | (888) 491-1886 |
| Tifton | 732 2nd St W | Tifton | 31794 | (877) 635-3542 |
| Valdosta | 3149 Perimeter Park Ln | Valdosta | 31602 | (866) 829-2617 |
| Vidalia | 104 W Third St | Vidalia | 30474 | (866) 931-2518 |
| Villa Rica | 908 S Carroll Rd | Villa Rica | 30180 | (866) 331-2318 |
| Warner Robins | 220 Carl Vinson Pkwy | Warner Robins | 31088 | (866) 931-7084 |
| Waycross | 303 Isabella St | Waycross | 31501 | (877) 405-3578 |
| Winder | 389 East Broad St | Winder | 30680 | (866) 331-9071 |
Step 3: Change Your Georgia DDS License
In Georgia this is the Department of Driver Services (DDS), not “the DMV.” You must change your license in person at a DDS Customer Service Center within 60 days of your name change becoming legal, and an appointment is strongly recommended (book at dds.georgia.gov or call 678-413-8400).
Here is the part most guides get wrong: your first name or address change during the license term is free. There is no $20 name-change fee. You only pay if you happen to be within 150 days of your license expiring, in which case DDS processes it as a renewal (the $32 eight-year fee, with a $5 discount if you finish online). Bring your certified marriage certificate and your current license. If you want a hyphenated name from a post-1982 Georgia marriage, also bring the certified copy of your marriage-license application. A new photo is taken at the counter.
One timely note: as of May 7, 2025, a REAL ID (the gold-star license) is required to board domestic flights and enter most federal buildings. A name-change visit is the natural time to upgrade. Bring a certified birth certificate or an unexpired U.S. passport (a maiden-name passport is fine), plus two proofs of Georgia residency.
Step 4: Update Your Vehicle Title and Registration
Own a car? Georgia handles titles through the Department of Revenue at your county tag office (the Tax Commissioner), which is a different office from DDS. Update your license first, then:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where | Your county tag office (Tax Commissioner), where you live |
| Form | Tag & Title Application (Form MV-1) in your new name (required if you apply by mail) |
| Bring | Your current title, your updated Georgia license, and a certified marriage certificate |
| Fee | $18 title fee. This is a title application, not the $8 lost-or-stolen replacement. A $1 mailing fee or optional $10 expedited charge may apply. No title tax is due on a same-owner name change. |
Georgia Name Change Mistakes to Avoid
“I’ll just ask the clerk to hyphenate my name.”
Not enough in Georgia. A hyphen on your license from a post-1982 Georgia marriage needs a certified copy of the marriage-license application with the hyphen already on it. Sort the hyphen out before the wedding, or you may need a Superior Court order later.
“The DMV handles all of this.”
Georgia has no “DMV.” Your license is the DDS; your car title and tag are the county tag office (Department of Revenue). Two different agencies, two different trips.
“I’ll change my license first.”
Do Social Security first. DDS checks your name against Social Security, so an un-updated record means a wasted trip. Wait a day or two after the Social Security change.
“There’s a name-change fee at DDS.”
There isn’t. It’s free once per license term. You only pay if you are within 150 days of expiration, when it becomes the $32 renewal.
“I have 60 days, so there’s no rush.”
True for the license deadline, but don’t let your certified copies and Social Security card lag. Every downstream account (bank, passport, employer) wants ID that already shows your new name.
Georgia State Taxes
Georgia has a state income tax, but unlike most states there is no self-service “change my name” button in the Georgia Tax Center for individuals. Instead, the Department of Revenue asks you to submit copies of your name-change documents with your tax return: a copy of your state ID or passport in the new name, plus your marriage certificate (or a Superior Court order or Social Security card). The Department warns that a name mismatch can delay your refund. So update Social Security first, file under the name and number that match Social Security, and attach those documents at filing time. Give your employer an updated Georgia G-4 so your W-2 matches too.
Other Georgia Licenses to Update
Weapons Carry License. Georgia changes this at your county Probate Court, the same office that holds your marriage record. A certified marriage certificate is accepted for a marriage name change, so no separate court order is required. Go in person, surrender your old license, and pay the $6 statutory reprint fee (local service charges may add a little). If more than 90 days remain on the license you do a replacement at the issuing court; if 90 days or fewer remain, use the renewal process instead.
Hunting and fishing. This is not a self-service edit. Update your license or ID first, then call Georgia DNR licensing at 1-800-366-2661 and send a copy of your updated license or name-change document. Once DNR updates your account, log into Go Outdoors Georgia and choose Replace all Current Licenses to reprint in your new name. It is free (only a durable plastic lifetime-license card reprint costs $10).
Passport. Federal and optional: use Form DS-5504 (free within a year of issue) or DS-82. Worth it if you travel.
Georgia Marriage Certificate Fees
Order certified marriage copies from the Probate Court of the county that issued your license. The $10 base fee is set statewide; only the ordering method changes the total:
| How you order | Certified marriage copy |
|---|---|
| Any county Probate Court (counter or mail) | $10 per certified copy (statutory base) |
| Chatham County, online / digital | $18.90 (base plus a 5% convenience fee) |
| Chatham County, by mail | $10 plus $1 per page |
With 159 Probate Courts in Georgia, the base is always $10, so check your specific county only if you plan to order online through a vendor.
What a Georgia Name Change Costs and How Long It Takes
The honest math for a standard married name change in Georgia:
| Step | Georgia cost |
|---|---|
| Social Security card (online or SS-5) | Free |
| Certified marriage certificate copy | $10 each (county Probate Court) |
| Driver’s license (DDS) | Free once per term ($32 only if within 150 days of expiry) |
| Vehicle title (Form MV-1) | $18 |
Core out-of-pocket is roughly $28 to $40 for most couples, a bit more if a renewal is triggered or you order copies online. A passport update adds more only if yours is more than a year old.
Time: your Social Security card takes about 2 to 3 weeks; a Probate Court copy is often same-day; the DDS license is done same-day at the counter (within the 60-day deadline); the title is updated at your county tag office. Do Social Security first and allow a day or two before the DDS visit.
Licensed Professional? Update Your Board
Most Georgia professional boards sit under the Secretary of State, and a marriage name change is usually a free record update:
- Nursing (RN/LPN). Notify the Georgia Board of Nursing within 30 days using the Secretary of State name and address change form with a copy of your marriage certificate. There is no name-change fee; a new printed wall certificate is $50 only if you want one. You can print an updated license online once the change posts.
- Other Secretary of State professions. Real estate, cosmetology, and the rest use the same name and address change form with your certified marriage certificate. Most are a free update.
Update Your Voter Registration
Voter registration: update your legal name on the Georgia My Voter Page (or by submitting a voter registration form to your county registrar) at least about 30 days before an election. A new precinct card arrives in roughly two weeks. Do this once your Georgia ID shows your new name.
Changing your name is one of the happiest kinds of paperwork there is. Take it one step at a time, in the order above, and you will be signing your new Georgia name before you know it.