The Name Path
The Pennsylvania Edition · $27

Pennsylvania

Your name change after marriage in Pennsylvania, in the right order: Social Security, your driver's license or state ID, your passport, voter registration and everything after, with every fact checked against the official source.

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Watercolor: Adult newlywed couple on the terrace of the Italian Water Garden, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square
At a glance

Pennsylvania, in six lines

Straight from the Pennsylvania guide. Where we couldn't confirm something from an official source, the guide says to ask the agency, and so does this page.

  • Certified copies

    From the Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court in the county that issued your marriage license. Pennsylvania has no statewide marriage registry. Ask for a certified copy (Allegheny calls it a "Triple Seal" copy); commemorative certificates and the license itself aren't accepted.

  • PennDOT

    PennDOT requires a Driver License Center visit for a name change, within 15 days. A standard license update is free.

  • Deadline

    Yes. Pennsylvania's Vehicle Code (§ 1515) says to notify PennDOT within 15 days of a name change.

  • Social Security online

    Pennsylvania licenses and IDs qualify. Pennsylvania marriage records don't. Since Pennsylvania licenses qualify, a Pennsylvania resident is usually only limited by where they married. A Pennsylvania marriage certificate doesn't qualify for the online route, so a couple married in Pennsylvania should plan on the mail or office route.

  • Voter registration

    Pennsylvania says to update your voter registration after a name change by marriage, by checking "Change of Name" on the application (online, mail or in person).

  • Social Security first?

    PennDOT's REAL ID page says to update your name with Social Security first. Bring your certified marriage certificate as the legal name-change document.

Soft watercolor wash: Independence Hall, Philadelphia
PennDOT

Fees (PennDOT)

ItemFee
Name change, standard license (update card)No fee
Replacement license with new name$42.50
Replacement photo ID card$42.50
REAL ID (first time)One-time $30, plus the license fee

From form DL-80 and PennDOT's fee schedule.

REAL ID

REAL ID

Since May 7, 2025, TSA requires a REAL ID-compliant card or another accepted ID, such as a U.S. passport, for domestic flights. A Pennsylvania REAL ID has a gold star in the top right corner. REAL ID Centers issue it the same day; other Driver License Centers mail it within 15 business days. For REAL ID, only a certified marriage certificate from a county office (Orphans' Court, Register of Wills) is accepted.

Soft watercolor wash: The Liberty Bell with Independence Hall through the glass
Step 1 · Certified copies

Where to order your marriage certificate

Pennsylvania has no statewide marriage registry. Since 1885, marriage licenses have been issued and kept by the Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court in each county. Order your certified copy from the county that issued your license (not necessarily where the ceremony took place). For REAL ID, PennDOT only accepts certified copies issued by the county office; commemorative certificates signed by your officiant and the marriage license itself are not accepted.

WhereCertified copy fee (as published)How to order
Philadelphia Register of Wills$40 by mail (about 3–4 weeks); $95 in person, same dayMail with a money order or cashier's check, or in person at City Hall Room 415 (arrive by 2:30 p.m. for same day)
Allegheny County (Pittsburgh)Triple Seal fee: confirm with the county (only the $4 plain copy and $4 search fee are published)Online (licenses from 1996 on, and older by request) or in person, 1st floor, City-County Building
Other PA countiesSet by each Register of Wills. Confirm with your county.Search "[county] register of wills marriage certificate copy"
Married in another stateOrder certified copies from the office that issued your certificate in that state (often a state vital records office or county clerk).

Fees as published by the Philadelphia Register of Wills, checked Oct 21, 2026. Philadelphia's fee schedule lists a certified copy at $25, a $15 research fee, $45 same-day processing and $15 per additional certified copy; the totals above are the amounts its Real ID notice asks for. Allegheny's plain copy isn't for official use. See Sources.

Official forms

The Pennsylvania forms, straight from the source

Every link goes to the agency's own page or PDF; we never host copies. Where we couldn't confirm a downloadable form, the row says to ask the agency. Your guide explains which form fits your situation. Links checked Oct 23, 2026.

ForFormOfficial link
Social SecuritySS-5: Application for a Social Security Card (PDF)ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf
Social SecuritySSA online: Apply for a Social Security Cardsecure.ssa.gov/ossnap/public/
Driver's license or ID (PennDOT)PennDOT: Change your name on a licensepa.gov/services/dmv/change-a-driver-…
PassportDS-5504: Application for a U.S. Passport for Eligible Individuals: correction, name change to a passport issued 1 year ago or less, and limited passport replacement (PDF)eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds5504_pdf.PDF
PassportDS-82: U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals (PDF)eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds82_pdf.PDF
PassportDS-11: Application for a U.S. Passport (PDF)eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds11_pdf.PDF
Vehicle titleApplication for Correction or Change of Name (MV-41A, PDF)pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/…
Voter registrationPennsylvania Online Voter Registrationpavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplic…
How we checked

Checked against the agency itself

The Pennsylvania guide's verification log lists 20 state facts: 18 confirmed on the official page, and 2 we couldn't confirm, which the guide marks "ask the agency". Sources checked October 21, 2026.

Soft watercolor wash: Philadelphia Museum of Art steps over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
The Pennsylvania Edition

Your whole Pennsylvania name change, one clear path

$27

14-day refund, no questions asked · One-time payment, no subscription

Changing your name with Social Security is free. You can apply directly with the Social Security Administration at ssa.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213. You don't need to buy this guide, or anything else, to do it.

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