Skip to main content
An Official Vermont Government Website

Legal Name Notice

FAQs.

Can I change my name online?

No. Name changes must be done in person at a DMV office location.

How do I change the name on my license/ID?

If your name is different than the one shown on your birth certificate or other document used to establish identity and date of birth, you must provide certified copies of the legal documents that connect the name on the document used to establish identity and date of birth to your current name. The following documents are acceptable.

Court-ordered name change

This includes:

  • Orders under a petition for a name change.
  • Orders for name change in a divorce decree or decree of annulment.
  • Orders for name change in a decree of adoption.

The court order must contain your prior full legal name, your court-ordered full legal name and your date of birth. It must be a certified copy and have the stamp or raised seal of the issuing court.

Marriage certificate

The marriage certificate must be issued by a state office of vital statistics or equivalent agency in the state or country where you were married and must be a certified copy with a stamp or raised seal of the issuing authority. A church, chapel, or similarly issued certificate is not acceptable.

In all cases, the documents must connect the name shown on your birth certificate or other document used to establish identity and date of birth to your current name. You do not have to document a complete listing of all the names you may have previously used, as long as the documents you provide clearly connect the two.

Social Security Administration

If you need to correct or update information at the Social Security Administration, do so several days before you apply for a Driver's License or ID card. For information on how to do this, visit socialsecurity.gov.

How do I change the name(s) on a vehicle title?

The title to be changed must contain owner information that matches the owner information on the current vehicle registration. You must complete a registration application form providing an updated vehicle odometer reading and updated owner information. Each individual currently listed on the title must sign on the back of the title (as "sellers") and fill in the name of the "buyer(s)." If there are two owners, you must indicate the relationship of the two owners.

See types of vehicle ownership for more information.