About Changing Your Name on Your Nebraska Registration

You must change name on car registration in Nebraska whenever your legal name changes and no longer matches the information on your original vehicle registration and titling documents. By law, you must also update the information on your driver’s license credentials within 60 days of legally changing your name. Common reasons for a name change include a marriage, divorce, court order and adoption.

In order to change car registration and driver’s license information, you must first notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) of your new name and obtain a replacement Social Security card. After changing your name with the SSA, you can then update your driver and vehicle registration records. To learn more about the steps you must take to change the name on your NE Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) credentials, review the information below.

Your Nebraska Name Change Checklist

Before performing a name change on car registration and driver’s license credentials, you must update your name with the SSA and obtain a corrected Social Security card that displays your new legal name. Until you change your name with the SSA, you cannot update the information on your Nebraska driver’s license or registration records.

To update your name with the SSA following a name change, you must submit a completed application for a Social Security card and provide proof of identity and a certified name change. Typically, acceptable proof of the name change includes a marriage certificate or divorce decree.

After gathering these application materials, you must mail your request to a local Social Security office, or submit your application materials in person. Before filing your NE DMV name change, you must wait at least 24 hours for the SSA to process your change of name and update its records.

Download our free guide for instructions on how to complete this task.

Changing Your Name on Your Nebraska Car Registration

The next step after notifying the SSA is updating the information on your Nebraska driver’s license or identification card. To make this change, you must visit your local driver’s licensing office to submit your request in person. Changing name on car registration cannot be completed until you update your driver’s license at a local DMV office.

When you get to your local DMV office, you must provide your previous Nebraska driver’s license and certified proof of your name change. Depending on the reason for the name change, acceptable proof of the name change may include:

•  A certified marriage license.
• A court order.
• A divorce decree.

If you need to change your car registration address but do not have a certified copy of your name change document, you may purchase a credential through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

After applying for a DMV change of name and updating the information on your Nebraska driver’s license or identification card, you must visit the treasurer’s office in the county where you live to correct the information on your vehicle registration records. In Nebraska, you cannot simultaneously update the information on your vehicle registration and driver records, as the state requires you to complete these two transactions separately.

Note: When changing the name on your car registration credentials, you may need to update the information on your vehicle’s title certificate as well. Therefore, your county treasurer may also require you to submit your vehicle’s original certificate of title during your DMV office visit.

To learn more about these requirements and the types of documents you may need to present to your county treasurer when changing the name on your vehicle records, download our free guide.