Legal Name Change
I recently got my name change approved! So I figured I’d give advice. To clear up a few things: I live in Florida. Some of these steps may not be universal for all states. And I doubt any of this will be helpful outside the US, so I’m not sure if following these guidelines will work for other countries. But anyways, name change! I recently got all my stuff sorted out for this! Coughed up a huge sum of money, too, but it was 5000% worth it, yo. So I wanted to make a post about this to help other trans people out with the process! And I guess if you’re not trans but have wanted to change your name, this can help you out, too.
Step 1 - Paperwork. You have to obtain a petition for a legal name change. Not for your last name (like for when ppl get married or divorced), but for your first name. You’ll want the papers to be for the court of the state in which you live. Papers can be found at your local courthouse OR sometimes online. Obtain these bad boys and get your fav black pen and fill them out. I recommend making copies of the papers after you fill them out. You may need to ask your folks a few questions about old addresses, you’ll need some old/current job info if you’ve worked (it’ll help to have a resume on hand), some education info (high school, college, etc.), and you’ll need to find a notary who isn’t part of your family. If you can’t find someone to notarize your forms, it can be done at the courthouse for a small fee. Filling these papers can be stressful and a bit overwhelming. Just take your time. Make sure it’s neat and legible. Read everything carefully – and I mean everything, even the sections you are mostly sure you will end up leaving blank!! Have a second set of eyes look at the papers with you!
Step 2 - Fingerprints. You will need to get your fingerprints done for a background check. You can do this at a local sheriff’s office. It was $10 for me. Not a terribly long wait, but if you’re busy that day, I’d say save it for a day you’re not too busy on or see if you can maybe make an appointment. The person doin’ the fingerprints doesn’t need to know all the details for why you’re getting them done, they’re just gonna send them in to the court anyway. Save your receipt as proof, bring that to the courthouse when you file your petition just in case. You’ll also get a paper from them explaining steps for an online payment for the background check – along with a receipt. Keep both! This was $36 for me. Once you get the background check done, it’s time to send your paperwork to the courthouse!
Step 3 - Filing. This is the part where you go to your courthouse with your paperwork. Have your name change papers that you filled out, signed, and got notarized (remember: you can also get them notarized at the courthouse for a small fee if you were not able to get them notarized by someone else), and also have your receipt for your fingerprinting. You can make copies of the papers at home or you can ask for the person at the desk to make them for you (this will also be a small fee). I recommend getting copies at the courthouse because you’ll have all the stamps on them. Either way, you’ll want copies to have just in case! If you don’t know where to go, ask the info desk or the security people where to go for the name change. There will also be signs saying what floor has what departments and all. Trust me when I say these people at desks will be bored and won’t mind telling you where to go if you get lost (unless they’re dealing with someone else for once – then just wait on them to finish what they’re doing before you ask). Once you find where you’re supposed to go, make sure that you’re in the right place. Simply ask something like, “This is where I come for name change stuff, right?” Once that’s confirmed, the person will want to see your papers. Have the receipt for your fingerprints, too, just in case. You’ll then fill out more papers. Ask for copies of them once you’re done. You’ll also have to pay a filing fee. I am sure this differs by state, and it may even differ by county. You can check the price online! My filing fee was real expensive: $415.04. I’d saved up from a part-time job for it, so you might end up having to do something similar in order to save up. But anyways, once you’ve paid your filing fee and finished the papers they give you at the desk to fill out, you’re done with step 3 and then you wait to be notified of any possible outcomes: a court date, your name having been changed and approved, or a denial. If you’re not a criminal or running from the law, there’s p much no reason the last option should happen to you, so try not to be anxious.
Step 4 - Letters. You will get a letter in the mail after filing and if everything was filled out correctly, you will either be notified of your new name being official OR of a court date. If you have a court date, just prepare to look decent for that day and answer the questions. The judge and all them just wanna make sure you’re not running from the law and all that. I personally didn’t have a court date, so I can’t give you more advice than that. Just stay calm, it’ll be worth it if you do have a court date. You might also get a letter from another legal department asking you to fill out other paperwork. Just fill it out as best as you can. There should be info for someone to contact if you have questions, so do that. This letter will have a deadline for when to get it back to them by, so do this all as soon as you can!
If things don’t go as planned:
Did something go wrong with your filing? Did you miss something on the forms by accident? Happens to the best of us. Don’t panic! You’ll be given a certain amount of days to fix the problem (mine was 60 days for the 2 issues I had), and within that number of days, you won’t be subject to paying the filing fee again. If you have questions about how to fix it, like if you can’t be there in person as soon as you’d like and might need an extension to be able to fix the paperwork, CALL YOUR COURTHOUSE. Call and ask all the questions you can once you get the right person on the phone. This will help clear things up and lessen your anxiety for sure. Otherwise, fill out a new form, get it notarized (you can do that at the courthouse for a small fee), and then just wait again.
Unable to make it to your court date? Call! Try and figure something out or reschedule. I have no experience with this, but I’m sure it can be done. If anyone has anything useful to say about being unable to make it to a court date, please feel free to add onto this post!
Hope this post helps! If anyone has any questions regarding this process, feel free to hit up my ask box or inbox. Good luck to anyone going through this process at the moment! It’s a lot of waiting, but it’ll be so worth it.
