Your spouse’s surname
The surname you are taking is on the certificate. Send it with form D1 and nothing more is needed.
Driving licence after marriage
Change the name on your driving licence after marriage
No Deed Poll is needed. If you are taking your spouse’s or civil partner’s surname, post form D1 to DVLA with your licence and your original marriage or civil partnership certificate. It is free, it can only be done by post, and GOV.UK says the new licence usually comes within 3 weeks.
- Free at DVLA
- No Deed Poll for a spouse’s surname
- Checked with GOV.UK, October 2026
The certificate is your proof
GOV.UK says nobody needs a deed poll to take a spouse’s or civil partner’s surname, and DVLA counts the marriage or civil partnership certificate as proof of a new surname. That holds whoever takes whose name, and whether you married or formed a civil partnership.
Your envelopes
What to post to DVLA after your wedding
Three answers, and the envelopes list only what applies to you. Without them, every item is shown with a label saying who it is for.
- Originals only. DVLA turns away photocopies, laminated certificates and copies that someone else has certified, the Post Office’s certification service included.
- It comes back on its own. Your certificate is returned by second class post, apart from the licence. To track it, put a stamped, self-addressed Special Delivery or Signed For envelope in with the form.
- Keep driving. GOV.UK confirms you may drive while DVLA has your licence. How long DVLA takes.
Your envelopes to DVLA
Everything DVLA asks for after a wedding, and who each part is for:
For your licence
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1BN
Swansea
SA99 1BN
Freefor your new name
- Form D1, filled in and signedCollect the pack from a Post Office that offers DVLA services, because it cannot be ordered online. Write your name exactly as you now use it.
- Photocard licencesYour photocard licenceThe one still in your old name. DVLA posts a new card in its place.
- Paper licencesYour paper licenceDVLA swaps it for a photocard, and the new name adds nothing to pay.
- If your passport is still in your old nameYour marriage or civil partnership certificateThe original, signed and dated, never a photocopy or a laminated one. GOV.UK asks for a separate document in your new name only when the proof is a Deed Poll or a statutory declaration, so this is enough.
- If your passport shows your married nameYour passport number, written on the formAfter a marriage, GOV.UK lets the 9-digit number of a passport already in your new name stand as the proof, so the certificate and the passport both stay at home. The number of an expired passport will not do.
- New photoA printed passport-type photo, and £17By cheque or postal order made out to DVLA. Free for drivers over 70, and for anyone with a medical short period licence.
- Paper licencesA recent printed passport-type photoGOV.UK asks for one with every paper licence, for the photocard that replaces it.
- Usually 3 weeksGOV.UK’s time for a licence applied for by post, and longer if DVLA has to check your identity or medical details.
- You can still driveYour licence is in the envelope, but GOV.UK says you may drive while the new one is made.
If a vehicle is registered in your name
For your log book
DVLAAt the address printed in section 3 of your log book
Freeusually
- The whole log book (V5C)With your new name written in full in section 3, and no initials. An older log book, without coloured numbered blocks on the cover, uses section 6, signed, and goes to the address in its section 8.
- A short letter giving the reasonThat you have married and taken your spouse’s or partner’s surname. GOV.UK asks for a letter saying why the name is changing.
- No certificate in this oneGOV.UK needs no proof on the log book when a name changes through marriage, so both envelopes can go the same day. Moving house as well? Then it does want proof, such as the certificate.
- Up to 6 weeksIf the vehicle needs taxing in the next 4 weeks, tax it online before the log book goes. The log book, step by step.
DVLA’s documents, on GOV.UK
From GOV.UK’s licence and log book guidance, checked October 2026.
Online?
Can I change it online after getting married?
No. GOV.UK’s renewal guidance says that once your name or title has changed, the only way to apply is by post, and it rules out a Post Office counter for a new name too. Changing your address online is no shortcut either: with a new name at the same time, GOV.UK points you to the paper form.
The form for a car or motorbike licence is the D1, ‘Application for a driving licence’. Lorry and bus drivers fill in the D2 and send it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BR. DVLA’s online forms service cannot send either pack. Still learning? A provisional licence uses the D1 as well: your provisional licence after marriage.
Ways to apply with a married name
- Online at GOV.UKNo
- Changing your address online at the same timeNo
- Over a Post Office counterNo
- By post, on form D1Yes
A Post Office that offers DVLA services is still where the D1 pack comes from.
Cost and time
What it costs, and how long it takes
DVLA charges nothing for the name itself. You pay only the postage, and the extras below if they apply to you.
Free
A new name on your licence
Whether your licence is a photocard or the old paper kind.
£17
A new photo as well
Optional. No fee over 70 or with a medical short period licence.
£20
A lost or stolen licence
You can still apply: say what happened to it on the form.
3 weeks
The new licence
GOV.UK’s usual time by post. In Northern Ireland, allow six.
6 weeks
A new log book
The longest GOV.UK says it can take, after you post it.
Any fee goes by cheque or postal order made out to DVLA, and GOV.UK warns that a damaged or altered cheque is refused. Pay the right postage too: your originals are inside. The new card also carries a new licence number, because its first five characters come from your surname: how the number changes.
Your married name
Double-barrelled, combined and other married names
DVLA’s list accepts the certificate “if you’ve changed your surname”, in GOV.UK’s words. How far that goes depends on the name you have chosen.
Both surnames, hyphenated
The certificate covers a changed surname. For certainty, change your passport first: HM Passport Office states that its marriage route includes double-barrelled names, and DVLA then takes the new passport number.
You both take a new surname
Each of you sends a D1. One original certificate cannot be in two envelopes, so post the second application once it comes back, or order a second certificate: the General Register Office charges £12.50 for one when the wedding took place in England or Wales.
A blended surname
A new surname made from parts of both, such as Ward and Hill becoming Wardhill, appears on neither certificate. DVLA then asks for a Deed Poll or a statutory declaration.
Your old surname as a middle name
Moving your own surname into your middle names changes more than the surname, which is all the certificate covers. A Deed Poll records the whole name.
Keeping your own name
Marriage alone changes nothing on a licence. Carry on using your own surname and there is nothing to tell DVLA. Do you have to change it at all?
New licence printed with a spelling you did not give? A mistake by DVLA is put right by letter, with no Deed Poll: a name spelt wrong on your licence.
Across the UK
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
England, Scotland and Wales
DVLA, the same way everywhere
DVLA keeps the licence records for every driver in Great Britain, so a wedding in Scotland or Wales changes nothing about the route: form D1 to Swansea, with your certificate. GOV.UK sets out a separate process for Northern Ireland only.
Lost the certificate?
- England or Wales: the General Register Office, £12.50, or £38.50 for its priority service.
- Scotland: National Records of Scotland.
- Northern Ireland: the General Register Office for Northern Ireland, through nidirect.
Northern Ireland
The DVA, on form DL1
Northern Ireland licences come from the Driver & Vehicle Agency. Fill in section 1d of form DL1, from main Post Office branches, and post it: nidirect says a change of name cannot be reported online, and it costs nothing.
Your evidence has to link the name on your identity document to your new one. nidirect gives as examples a passport in your new name, or your birth certificate with your marriage or civil partnership certificate, and it refuses photocopies. The DVA aims to deal with a complete application in 10 working days; allow six weeks before chasing.
Form DL1
Driver Licensing Division
County Hall
Castlerock Road
Waterside
Coleraine
BT51 3TB
County Hall
Castlerock Road
Waterside
Coleraine
BT51 3TB
Freefor a new name
From nidirect’s DL1 notes and proof of identity guide. Even in Northern Ireland, the log book is a DVLA V5C.
When you do need one
When a Deed Poll is needed after marriage
Only when the name you want is not the one your certificate gives you: a blended or brand new surname, a different first or middle name, or your old surname kept as a middle name.
DVLA then wants the original Deed Poll and one document in your new name. It must be dated in the last 12 months and after both the deed and your current licence, such as a UK bank statement, a utility bill or a letter from HMRC or your council. A UK passport number in the new name also counts.
Changing your licence with a Deed Poll has the rest.
The Adult Deed Poll
£18.50
- Hand-drafted by a paralegal and checked by quality control
- Posted the same working day
- Space for two witnesses, and we recommend using both
- Guaranteed to be accepted, or your money back
Passport and log book
Changing your passport too? The order that saves a wait
Your passport
HM Passport Office takes your marriage certificate. It even lets you apply up to 3 months before the ceremony, for a post-dated passport you cannot use until the day. GOV.UK’s marriage rules.
Your licence
Once the passport arrives, write its number on form D1. The certificate stays at home, and the passport is yours to travel on while DVLA works.
Your log book
Any time, even the same day as the licence, because it needs no certificate after a marriage. Changing the name on a V5C. A private number held on a V750 or V778 takes a letter of its own: private plates.
Travelling soon after the wedding? Make any booking in the name shown on the passport you will travel on. Then do the licence first, with your certificate, and keep the passport for the trip. Both orders, side by side: licence or passport first? Everyone else on your list: who to tell, in order.
Questions & answers
More about your licence after marriage
Do I need a Deed Poll to change my driving licence after marriage?
No. GOV.UK confirms that a deed poll is unnecessary when you adopt your spouse’s or civil partner’s surname, and DVLA accepts the original marriage or civil partnership certificate as the proof. You would need a Deed Poll only for a name your certificate cannot explain, for example a blended surname or a new first name. Which married names need one.
Can I change the name on my driving licence online after marriage?
No. Once your name has changed, GOV.UK takes the application by post only, on form D1, and a Post Office counter cannot take it either. The D1 pack itself comes from a Post Office that offers DVLA services. Why there is no online route.
How much does it cost to change my name on my driving licence after marriage?
Nothing. DVLA makes no charge for a new name. You pay £17 only if you choose a new photo at the same time (free for drivers over 70 or with a medical short period licence), or £20 if the licence has been lost or stolen, by cheque or postal order to DVLA. The postage is the only other cost.
How long does it take to change my name on my driving licence after marriage?
GOV.UK says a licence applied for by post usually arrives within 3 weeks, and longer if DVLA needs to check your identity or medical details. Your certificate comes back separately, by second class post. In Northern Ireland, allow at least six weeks before chasing the DVA.
Where do I get a D1 form, and where do I send it?
Only from a Post Office that offers DVLA services: DVLA’s online forms service cannot order the D1 pack. For a car or motorbike licence, post it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BN. Lorry and bus licences use form D2, sent to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BR.
Do I have to send my original marriage certificate?
Yes, unless your UK passport already shows your married name, in which case its number on the form is enough. DVLA refuses photocopies, laminated certificates and copies certified by someone else, and returns your documents by second class post, apart from the licence. A stamped, self-addressed Special Delivery or Signed For envelope lets you track them.
Is it different in Scotland?
No. DVLA keeps the records for every driver in Great Britain, so a marriage in Scotland follows the same steps as one in England or Wales: form D1 to Swansea with your certificate. A replacement Scottish certificate comes from National Records of Scotland. Only Northern Ireland has its own process.
How do I change my driving licence after marriage in Northern Ireland?
With form DL1, from main Post Office branches, posted to the DVA’s Driver Licensing Division at County Hall, Coleraine, BT51 3TB. Fill in section 1d, enclose your licence and original evidence linking your old and new names, such as your birth certificate with your marriage certificate. nidirect says it cannot be done online, and it is free. Northern Ireland in full.
Can I change my driving licence before the wedding?
No. DVLA’s proof is the marriage or civil partnership certificate, which you only have after the ceremony. HM Passport Office is the exception: it will issue a post-dated passport in your new name up to 3 months ahead. Which to change first.
Do I have to change my driving licence after getting married?
Only if you start using a new name. Under section 99 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, once the name on your licence is no longer correct you must send it to DVLA without delay, and failing to without a reasonable excuse is an offence. If you keep your own surname, the licence stays as it is.
Something else? Ask a paralegal and we will answer, usually the same working day.
Keep reading
Related answers
A name your certificate does not show?
A blended surname or a new first name needs a Deed Poll. Apply online in about five minutes: ours is hand-drafted, checked and posted the same working day, and guaranteed to be accepted.
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