Want to Change Your Name After Marriage: Here's What You Need to Do in North Carolina Obtain Your Marriage Certificate. Update Your Social Security Card. Order a Replacement Driver's License. Update Banking and Financial Accounts. Passport and Travel Documents. Inform Your Employer and Payroll. Tackle Your Digital Presence.
After a person is married, all they need is a certified copy of his/her marriage license to legally change his/her name on things such as driver's license, social security card and passport.
AND, you're allowed to retake your Maiden Name even if you are still married and have no plans to divorce through a new Name Change Petition.
Anyone can obtain uncertified copies of marriage records in North Carolina. However, to get a record, applicants must provide related information, such as the marriage date and where the license was issued. In contrast, North Carolina laws restrict who may obtain certified copies of a marriage record.
The marriage license must be issued before the wedding. North Carolina has no required waiting period between the issuance of the marriage license and the wedding. A marriage license expires after 60 days if the wedding has not taken place, and applicants must apply again if the wedding does not occur within 60 days.
“Your marriage certificate doesn't expire, so you can actually wait as long as you'd like before starting the name change process after you get married,” Christensen says. “The best time to start the name change process is after you return from any scheduled travel in your given name.”