Updating your passport after a name change

The passportphoto.digital team · August 5, 2026 · 3 min read

Marriage, divorce or a court-ordered change all lead to the same question: which form, and does it cost anything. The answer comes down to the date on your current passport.

The short version

Passport issued less than a year ago: Form DS-5504, generally with no application fee.
Issued more than a year ago: it becomes a standard renewal on DS-82, at full price, if you qualify.
Your name on the ticket must match your passport, so book travel in the name you will be traveling under.

Which form applies

If your current passport was issued less than a year ago, you use Form DS-5504. This is the correction route, and it generally carries no application fee — you send in the passport, the completed form, a certified copy of the name-change document and a new photo.

If it was issued more than a year ago, the name change goes through a regular renewal. On Form DS-82 by mail if you qualify, or DS-11 in person if you do not, at the standard fee.

Either way, the name-change document has to be a certified copy from the issuing authority — a certified marriage certificate, a divorce decree that specifically restores or changes the name, or a court order. A photocopy or a keepsake certificate from the ceremony is not accepted.

Divorce and restoring a former name

A divorce decree only works as a name-change document if it explicitly restores your former name. Many do not — the name change was handled separately, or was never included. Read yours before assuming.

If your decree is silent on the name, you need whatever document actually effected the change, which may be a court order you obtained afterward. If no such document exists, you may need to apply for a legal name change in your state before the passport can be updated.

The same applies to going back to a maiden name after a marriage certificate change. The certified marriage certificate documents the change to your married name; something else has to document the change back.

The travel timing problem

Your name on an airline ticket has to match the name on the passport you travel under. Not your new legal name, not your name on your driver's license — the name in the passport that is in your hand at the gate.

So if you are getting married and traveling shortly after, the simplest approach is to book the honeymoon in your current passport name and update the passport when you get back. Airlines will change a name on a ticket sometimes, for a fee, and sometimes not at all.

If you do need the new name before travel, count the processing time carefully — a DS-5504 correction goes through the same queue as any other application, and expedited service is available if the date is close.

The photo

A name change requires a new photo, taken within the last six months. There is no version of this where the old photo carries over, even on a fee-free correction, and even if the passport is only a few months old.

It has to reflect your current appearance too. If you have significantly changed how you look since the last photo — a very different hair length, growing or removing a beard — that is a separate reason a new photo is required, independent of the name.

Same specification as always: 2 × 2 inches, head between 1 and 1⅜ inches, plain white background, no glasses, neutral expression or a natural closed-mouth smile.

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Frequently asked

Is changing my name on my passport free?+

If the passport was issued less than a year ago, the DS-5504 correction generally carries no application fee. After a year it becomes a standard renewal at full price.

Which form do I use after getting married?+

DS-5504 if the passport is under a year old, DS-82 if it is older and you qualify for mail renewal, DS-11 in person if you do not.

Does a divorce decree work as proof?+

Only if it explicitly restores or changes your name. Many decrees do not, in which case you need a separate court order.

Do I need a new photo?+

Yes, taken within the last six months, on every name-change route including the fee-free correction.

Can I travel before my passport is updated?+

Yes, as long as your ticket is booked in the name that appears in the passport you are carrying.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Fees, forms and processing times are revised regularly — the linked government page is the authority. Written and maintained by the passportphoto.digital team.