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Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! The first thing that you need to do is to get your name changed with Social Security. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Gather documents proving your:

• Legal Name Change
• • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Certificate of Naturalization showing a new name
  • Court order name change
• Identity
• U.S. citizenship if you have not established your citizenship with us
• Immigration status if you are not a U.S. citizen

Step 2: Complete an Application for a Social Security card.

Step 3: Take or mail your completed application and documents to your local Social Security office or your local Social Security Card Center.

All documents must be either originals or certified copies by the issuing agency. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies of documents. Any documents you mail to us will be returned to you along with a receipt.

You will need the evidence for the name change:

SSA RM 10212.050 Evidence of Name Change based on a Foreign Marriage or Foreign Same-Sex Marriage:

All foreign marriage documents submitted for a name change must be evaluated under the guidelines on reviewing SSN and foreign evidence.

Have a foreign marriage document translated, if necessary. See GN00301.340 to determine who is an authorized translator for SSA purposes.

NOTE: If GN 00307.000 is silent regarding the country where the name change document was issued, assume the document is acceptable.
A. Acceptable foreign marriage documents

Accept a foreign marriage document which meets the SSN evidence review and foreign evidence guidelines as evidence of a name change.
B. Acceptable foreign same-sex marriage documents

Accept a foreign marriage document for couples of the same-sex issued by a foreign government that performs and recognizes same-sex marriages.

Canada performs same-sex marriages for residents of other countries. Accept Canadian same-sex marriage documents as evidence of a name change regardless of the number holder’s State of residence.

For all other countries, refer to the Regional Chief Counsel Precedents, PR 02706 Name Change Due to Foreign Marriage, to determine whether a foreign same-sex marriage document is acceptable for a name change. There may be more then one legal opinion listed for each State listed; therefore, scroll through the entire section when searching.

If there is no legal opinion for a foreign same-sex marriage document submitted for a name change, then consult with your RO (Regional Office). The RO should request a legal opinion from the Regional Chief Counsel on whether the foreign same-sex marriage document is acceptable evidence for a name change in the number holder’s State of residence.
C. References

GN 00307.000, Foreign Evidence

RM 10210.210 General Information on Reviewing and Verifying Evidence for an SSN Card

RM 10212.055, Evidence Required to Process a Name Change on the SSN based on Marriage, Civil Union, or Domestic Partnership

(Read over those documents)

Once you get your name changed with Social Security, you can take that to a state DMV (if applicable) and get your IDs changed. But the social security card will be the one that will allow you to change your name everywhere else.

Hope that clears things up a bit. If you have any other questions, please let me know. If not, and you have not yet, please rate my answer. Please note that I don't get any credit for my answer unless and until you rate it a 3, 4, 5 (good or better). Thank you, and good luck to you!

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My pleasure, and again, good luck to you, and congratulations on the upcoming marriage!

You don't have to, but you should. Ultimately, legally under US law you would be known as your former name. Your new name would be your legal German name. So in essence, you would be "AKA" (have two legal names). It's not an absolute necessity that you register, as it's not illegal to go by two names so long as the intent is not to defraud.

Hope that clears things up a bit. If you have any other questions, please let me know. If not, and you have not yet, please rate my answer. Please note that I don't get any credit for my answer unless and until you rate it a 3, 4, 5 (good or better). Thank you, and good luck to you!

Certainly, but they probably don't care if you change your name in the US. They probably only care what you do within the confines of German law.

My pleasure! If you have not yet, please rate my answer. Please note that I don't get any credit for my answer unless and until you rate it a 3, 4, 5 (good or better). Thank you, and again, good luck to you!