Name change in Virginia
These are the steps most people follow for a name change in Virginia, in order. Each links to its official source and the date we last checked it. When you're ready, build a personalized checklist that covers every document at once.
This is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change, so always confirm with the official source linked on each step, and talk to a lawyer or legal-aid organization about your specific situation.
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Step 1: Get a court order for your name change
- In Virginia you apply to change your name in the circuit court of the county or city where you live. If you have no fixed place of residence, you can apply to any circuit court that finds good cause to consider your case.
Varies by court/clerk.
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- Your application must be made under oath and must state your place of residence, both parents' names (including your mother's maiden name), your date and place of birth, your felony conviction record if any, and any name you've changed before. At a hearing, the court must order the name change unless the evidence shows you are seeking it for a fraudulent purpose, it would infringe on someone else's rights, or — for a minor — it would not be in the child's best interest. Extra requirements apply if you are incarcerated, on probation, or required to register with the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry.
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Step 2: Update your Social Security record
- Social Security still changes the legal name on your Social Security record. A valid court order for a name change is one of the events Social Security recognizes as changing your legal name, and you apply with Form SS-5, the Application for a Social Security Card.
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- Social Security's policy manual defines your legal name as your first name and last name — the name you use to sign legal documents. For a person born in the United States, that is generally the name shown on the birth certificate, unless the name changed through an event such as a marriage or a valid court order for a name change. The sex marker on your record is handled separately and under a different rule — see the Social Security sex marker step.
📝 Get the official form: Form SS-5 — Application for a Social Security Card
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Step 3: Update your driver's license or state ID
- To change the name on your Virginia driver's license or ID, start the change online or complete a Driver's License and Identification Card Application at a DMV customer service center. You need one of: a marriage or civil-union certificate, a divorce decree that states the change from your married name to your maiden name, or a court order granting the name change.
- After a name or sex-designation change is processed, Virginia DMV issues a new license or ID as a replacement credential. In person, a replacement license costs $20 (add $10 if you're also upgrading to REAL ID at the same visit); a replacement learner's permit costs $2.
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- Bring your current Virginia driver's license, learner's permit, or photo ID if you have one; if you don't, you need to present a different proof-of-identity document instead. DMV asks you to use your full legal name — not abbreviations or nicknames — and to bring original documents, not copies. Once your name change is processed, you still need to get a replacement license or ID card showing the new name.
- You can often get a replacement online, but DMV requires an in-person visit at a customer service center if you need to change or correct the name on your license or permit. In person, you present a completed Driver's License and Identification Card Application, one proof-of-identity document, have a new photo taken, and pay the replacement fee.
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Step 4: Update your U.S. passport
- To update the name on your U.S. passport, submit a passport application with an original or certified copy of the document that legally changed your name, such as a court order.
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- If your name changed within 1 year of your most recent passport being issued, mail Form DS-5504 with the name-change document — you will not have to submit any fees for this service. If it has been more than a year, renew by mail with Form DS-82 and a certified name-change document, or apply in person with Form DS-11. If you have no legal documentation of the change, you apply in person with Form DS-11 plus Form DS-60, Affidavit Regarding a Change of Name.
📝 Get the official form: Form DS-82 — U.S. Passport Renewal
Sources
- U.S. Department of State — Change or Correct a Passport — We cannot check this source automatically for changes. Check it yourself before you file.
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Where to get help
- Equality Virginia — A statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization that publishes plain-language guides on updating Virginia identity documents, including DMV and birth-certificate gender-marker processes.
- Legal Aid Justice Center — A Virginia legal-aid organization providing direct representation and advocacy for low-income Virginians, including help with legal name-change petitions.
- Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) — Virginia identity documents guide — Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) keeps a plain-language guide to changing your name and gender marker on Virginia documents. Their staff write and update it. Read it alongside this checklist.
- Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) — National advocacy organization (formerly the National Center for Transgender Equality) with plain-language guides to updating federal identity documents (Social Security, passport) after a name or gender-marker change.
- Lambda Legal Help Desk — National LGBTQ+ legal organization offering a free legal help desk for questions about discrimination and legal name/gender-marker changes.