Just married in Illinois? Congratulations. Changing your name in the Prairie State is refreshingly straightforward. Here is exactly how to do it, in the right order, with what it costs and how long it takes.
Illinois Name Change: Quick Answers
Do I need a court order to take my spouse’s last name?
No. Your certified marriage certificate is all the proof you need. The court route is only for other kinds of name changes.
How long do I have to update my license?
Illinois gives you 30 days to apply for a corrected license. (You may see a 10-day figure online; that one is for an address change, not a name change.)
I have a FOID card. Do I have to update it?
Yes. Update your FOID card, and your Concealed Carry License if you have one, with the Illinois State Police. See below.
Step 1: Get Certified Copies of Your Marriage Certificate
In Illinois your certified marriage certificate comes from the County Clerk of the county where you got your marriage license. Order 2 or 3 certified copies, since Social Security and the Secretary of State each want to see an original. Fees vary by county:
| County | First copy | Each extra | Order from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | $15 | $4 | County Clerk |
| DuPage | $14 | $2 | County Clerk |
| Lake | $10 | $4 | County Clerk |
| Will | $12 | $4 | County Clerk |
| Kane | $16 | $6 | County Clerk |
| McHenry | $12 | $4 | County Clerk |
| Winnebago | $17 | $5 | County Clerk |
Step 2: Update Social Security First
Social Security is free and the same in every state: complete form SS-5, show your certified marriage certificate, and your new card arrives in about 2 to 3 weeks. Do this first, because the Secretary of State verifies your name against Social Security records. Details: ssa.gov.
Illinois has 47 Social Security field offices. Find the one nearest you:
| City | Address | ZIP | Phone | Mon-Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alton | 501 Belle St | 62002 | (855) 285-6006 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Aurora | 1325 N. Lake Street | 60506 | (877) 274-5412 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Belleville | 227 W Pointe Dr | 62226 | (877) 405-0471 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Bloomingdale | 230 West Lake Street | 60108 | (877) 845-1577 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Carbondale | 250 W Cherry St | 62901 | (877) 714-0377 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Champaign | 101 S Country Fair Dr | 61821 | (877) 819-2593 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 5253 S Ashland Ave | 60609 | (877) 897-0608 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 605 W Washington Blvd | 60661 | (866) 739-4765 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 6338 S Cottage Grove Ave | 60637 | (877) 402-0824 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 5130 West North Avenue | 60639 | (866) 614-4761 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 2127 W Lawrence Ave | 60625 | (877) 409-8426 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 9443 S Western Ave | 60643 | (877) 409-8427 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 3260 W Fullerton Ave | 60647 | (888) 456-9540 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 4849 N Milwaukee Ave | 60630 | (888) 748-7667 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 9715 S Cottage Grove | 60628 | (888) 397-3107 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago | 2416 S Pulaski Road | 60623 | (877) 531-4698 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Chicago Heights | 104 S Halsted Street | 60411 | (877) 274-5413 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Danville | 400 N. Vermilion St. | 61832 | (866) 331-5394 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Decatur | 606 W Pershing Rd | 62526 | (888) 619-4773 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| East St Louis | 650 Missouri Ave | 62201 | (877) 700-4849 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Effingham | 1207 Network Centre Dr | 62401 | (855) 213-5288 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Elgin | 790 Fletcher Dr | 60123 | (877) 405-0435 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Evanston | 2116 Green Bay Rd | 60201 | (888) 371-0791 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Freeport | 4 E Linden St | 61032 | (855) 628-1591 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Galesburg | 2060 Windish Drive | 61401 | (877) 405-7659 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Harrisburg | 18 Veterans Drive | 62946 | (866) 366-3980 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Hillside | 230 North Mannheim Rd | 60162 | (866) 964-6290 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Joliet | 552 Houbolt Rd | 60431 | (866) 783-7302 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Kankakee | 630 E. Oak St. | 60901 | (855) 807-8801 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Litchfield | 1107 W Ferdon | 62056 | (877) 319-3077 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Mount Prospect | 705 North Wheeling Rd | 60056 | (866) 931-8350 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Mount Vernon | 105 S 6th St | 62864 | (866) 931-2549 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Normal | 328 Susan Dr | 61761 | (877) 405-4640 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| North Riverside | 7222 W Cermak Rd | 60546 | (888) 518-0226 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Palos Hills | 10718 S Roberts Rd | 60465 | (877) 405-4568 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Pekin | 2801 Broadway | 61554 | (877) 405-0499 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Peoria | 815 W Pioneer Parkway | 61615 | (877) 319-6039 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Peru | 915 Wenzel Rd | 61354 | (855) 245-0640 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Quincy | 2401 Lind Street | 62301 | (888) 279-5999 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Rock Island | 2350 4th Ave | 61201 | (866) 414-9166 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Rockford | 502 E Jefferson St | 61107 | (877) 628-6570 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Springfield | 3112 Constitution Dr | 62704 | (877) 279-9504 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Sterling | 3610 E Lincolnway | 61081 | (866) 789-1093 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Waukegan | 1930 N Lewis Ave | 60087 | (888) 320-0960 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| West Frankfort | 1005 Factory Outlet Dr | 62896 | (888) 223-8869 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Woodridge | 7440 Providence Dr | 60517 | (866) 303-2724 | 9 AM-4 PM |
| Woodstock | 2450 Lake Shore Dr | 60098 | (877) 405-7828 | 9 AM-4 PM |
Step 3: Correct Your Illinois Driver’s License
Illinois handles licenses through the Secretary of State, not a DMV, and a name change is issued as a “corrected” license. Here is what to know:
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Agency | Secretary of State, Driver Services facility |
| Fee | $5 |
| How | In person; bring your old license and certified proof of the name change |
| Appointment | Required at the 44 busiest facilities (all Chicago and suburban) under Skip-the-Line. Book at ilsos.gov or call 844-817-4649. |
| Deadline | Within 30 days of your name change |
| Do first | Update Social Security, then go (the SoS verifies against SSA) |
Step 4: Update Your Vehicle Title
Own a car? File Form VSD 190 with the Secretary of State to correct your title, and a second VSD 190 for your registration card. The married-name title fee is a reduced $15, plus $3 for the corrected registration, so $18 total. Your plates and plate number stay the same. Corrected title details.
Licensed Professional? Update With IDFPR
Illinois regulates nurses, teachers, real estate agents, cosmetologists, and dozens of other professions through a single agency, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
- A name change cannot be finished fully online.
- Submit the Personal Information Change Request with a certified marriage certificate (official stamp or seal).
Which Names Can You Take in Illinois?
Take your spouse’s last name or hyphenate: Yes, with your marriage certificate. No court needed.
Make your maiden name your middle name: For a legally clean result, use the court name-change route. Your marriage certificate reliably supports a new last name, but Illinois does not clearly treat it as authority to replace an existing middle name, which can cause REAL ID or passport snags later.
A brand-new first name or an unrelated last name: This needs a court petition, and you must have lived in Illinois for 6 months.
Other Illinois Licenses to Update
Notary public (has a deadline)
Notify the Illinois Secretary of State within 30 days. Illinois does not amend a commission for a name change: you must resign your current commission and reapply in your new name (SoS Index Dept., 111 E. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62756).
Firearms: FOID card and Concealed Carry License
If you own firearms, update both your FOID card and your Concealed Carry License with the Illinois State Police. Submit your marriage certificate through the Firearms Services Bureau; a replacement-card fee applies.
Hunting and fishing
Update your name in your Illinois DNR license account.
Update Your Voter Registration
Update your name online at ova.elections.il.gov if you have an Illinois license or state ID. Miss the deadline? Illinois Grace Period registration runs through Election Day at designated sites.
What an Illinois Name Change Costs and How Long It Takes
The honest math for a standard married name change in Illinois:
| Step | Illinois cost |
|---|---|
| Social Security card (SS-5) | Free |
| Certified marriage certificate copies | $10 to $15 each, by county |
| Driver’s license (corrected) | $5 |
| Vehicle title + registration (VSD 190) | $18 |
Core out-of-pocket runs about $20 to $45, since the license correction is only $5. A passport update adds cost only if yours is more than a year old.
Time: plan for a few weeks. Your new Social Security card takes about 2 to 3 weeks, and it needs to show your new name before you visit the Secretary of State, which you should do within 30 days of the change.
Illinois State Taxes
Illinois has a flat state income tax, but there is no separate name-change step. Once you have updated Social Security, the Department of Revenue updates your record from your next filed Illinois return, so just give your employer an updated IL-W-4.
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 Illinois name before you know it.