After the Wedding: Your Tennessee Marriage License & Name Change Checklist

Congratulations — you are married! If you are wondering what to do after getting married in Tennessee, start here. This checklist explains how to return your marriage license so your wedding becomes official on paper, and walks you through the exact steps to change your name after marriage, in the right order. It comes from Notary Force, a Tennessee wedding officiant, and it is the same guide we share with the couples we marry.

Short on time? Download or print this checklist (PDF)

Returning Your Marriage License and Certificate of Marriage

Where it goes. Your signed marriage license and certificate of marriage must be returned to the County Clerk’s Office in the county where the license was originally issued. For example, if it was issued in Knox County, it must be returned to a County Clerk’s office in Knox County. When it is returned. By law, the signed license must be returned within three (3) business days after the ceremony. What happens next. Once the County Clerk’s office records your marriage, they will provide your official marriage certificate — a beautiful keepsake, and your legal proof of marriage, used for everything in the next section.

Changing Your Name (If Applicable)

If you have decided to change your name, follow these steps in order — each one builds on the one before it.

Step 1 — Obtain certified copies. Request certified copies of your marriage certificate from the County Clerk’s Office. Certified copies are required for official name changes, so consider getting several to use with various agencies. Certified copies carry a small fee that varies by county — often around $5 per copy at the County Clerk’s office, or $15 through Tennessee Vital Records.

Step 2 — Update your Social Security card. Do this step first — later steps depend on it. Complete Form SS-5 (Application for a Social Security Card) with the Social Security Administration. You can start the application online at ssa.gov and then finish it in person, bringing your documents with you within 45 days. You will need:

a certified copy of your marriage certificate
your current Social Security card
a valid government-issued photo ID (for example, a driver’s license or passport)
your completed Form SS-5

Step 3 — Update your driver’s license. After your Social Security record is updated, visit a Tennessee Driver Services Center in person to change the name on your license. Social Security comes first because Tennessee verifies your new name against Social Security records. Bring: your current driver’s license or state-issued ID; your certified (registered, post-ceremony) marriage certificate — the license you received before the ceremony is not accepted on its own. A small duplicate-license fee applies (about $8). Tennessee law asks drivers to notify the Department of Safety within 10 days of a name change, so it is best not to delay this step.

Step 4 — Update other records. Notify the other places that hold your name, including:

Banks and financial institutions
Insurance providers
Employers and payroll departments
Utility companies
Passport office (if applicable)
Memberships, subscriptions, and professional organizations

Tips

Keep your certified marriage certificate safe and secure — you will need it again in the future. Make a checklist of every institution where your name needs to be updated, and work through it systematically. Expect a mix of methods: some organizations let you update your name online, while others require a visit in person.

Planning a Tennessee Wedding?

If you found this checklist while planning your wedding, Notary Force can help with the ceremony itself. Laura Scherr officiates weddings across Middle Tennessee and also provides mobile and online notary services, so your paperwork is handled with the same care before and after you say ‘I do.’

Wedding officiant services | Contact or book Notary Force

Notary Force — Phone: 615-616-NTRY (6879) — www.notaryforce.com