Name Change/United States
From Transsexual Support
State laws can regulate name changes in the United States; still, they cannot altogether forbid common law name changes. Several specific federal court rulings have set precedents regarding both court decreed name changes and common law name changes (changing your name \"at will\").
Information coming soon.
[edit] Alabama (AL)
[edit] Alaska (AK)
[edit] Arizona (AZ)
[edit] Arkansas (AR)
[edit] California (CA)
California offers a way to have both your new name and gender recognized legally. The process is fairly simple, and involves filling out some forms available online, printing them out, including documentation from a surgeon stating your sex change operation, and filing the request with the court.
The change must be advertised in a local newspaper for 4 consecutive weeks as a legal notice, which you then collect from the newpaper, attach to the packet with the other information and await your court date. On the day of the court appearance, you appear before the judge, and he asks if there is any reason the court should not grant your request.
This is the moment of truth, if you have any reason why someone would not let you or want you to change your name they may speak up at this time. If not, everything goes smoothly, the judge signs off. In a couple of weeks, you get the signed and sealed court order with your new name and gender officially recognized. You can now use this to get other documents changed legally.
Nolo Press (http://www.nolo.com) has a book entitled \"Changing Your Name In California\" which details this process (or the similar process for just changing your name), and includes the forms the court needs to see. The book is available in both large paperback and PDF download.
California has made the forms available as enchanced PDF files with form fields that you can type data into to fill out the forms and then print them off using Adobe Reader. (Note you cannot save the filled out form unless you have a full-blown version of Acrobat). The forms are available at: http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/
\'\'Contributed by Tamara (2007)\'\'
[edit] Colorado (CO)
[edit] Connecticut (CT)
[edit] Delaware (DE)
[edit] Florida (FL)
[edit] Georgia (GA)
[edit] Hawaii (HI)
[edit] Idaho (ID)
In Idaho to change your name you need to make an appointment with a court clerk. You go in and fill out their form (i believe its available online i will look a bit later) submit it and the clerk gives you a page long document that must be run in the legal notices of a newspaper that is published weekly and distributed in the county you live in. They also will make your appointment for you to go before the judge. In Ada County you can use either the Idaho Statesman or the Idaho Business Review (not the Boise Weekly unfortunately) This notice needs to be in the paper for four (4) weeks published at least once per week. When this is done you go before the judge and they ask if anyone has any objections and bangs his gavel and your name is now changed. After this you need to go see the clerk again and they will give you as many copies of your name change order as you need (there is a charge per copy!) with the courts seal.
If you were born in Idaho unfortunately it takes an act of the Idaho Legislature to change the sex on your birth certificate.
\'\'Contributed by Tammy (12/18/2007)\'\'
[edit] Illinois (IL)
[edit] Indiana (IN)
[edit] Iowa (IA)
[edit] Kansas (KS)
[edit] Kentucky (KY)
[edit] Louisiana (LA)
[edit] Maine (ME)
[edit] Maryland (MD)
[edit] Massachusetts (MA)
[edit] Michigan (MI)
[edit] Minnesota (MN)
[edit] Mississippi (MS)
[edit] Missouri (MO)
[edit] Montana (MT)
[edit] Nebraska (NE)
[edit] Nevada (NV)
[edit] New Hampshire (NH)
[edit] New Jersey (NJ)
[edit] New Mexico (NM)
[edit] New York (NY)
If you live in New York City, you may bring a name change proceeding in any county in the city. It costs $65.00 to change a name in Civil Court. You can use the Civil Court\'s free and easy interactive computer program to make an adult or minor child name change Petition. Or go the Name Change Forms list for free civil court forms that you need, or you may go to the name change location in the courthouse and get the forms from the court clerk. You must fill out the forms and bring them to the courthouse.
If you were born in New York State, you need to bring either an original or certified copy of your birth certificate. If you were not born in New York State, you need to bring proof of your birth, as well. The papers will be reviewed by the court clerk and submitted to a judge. If the judge says yes to your name change, you will have to publish your new name in a newspaper. The newspaper charges a fee for publishing your name change.
If your situation is difficult, you see if you can find legal assistance to help you in preparing the papers. You may also review the New York State Civil Rights Act, sections 60 to 65.
- http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/civil/namechanges.shtml
- http://www.srlp.org/index.php?sec=03H&page=identitydocs
To change your other than through marriage, you will have to ask the New York State Supreme Court to change your name. To do that, you must fill out and file these court forms:
- Name Change Petition
- Name Change Order
- Request for Judicial Intervention (RJI) (original plus 2 copies)
- Index Number Application
- http://www.lawny.org/index.php/family-self-help-140/name-change-self-help-58
- http://www.nycourts.gov/courts
You must also submit a certified copy of your birth certificate. In New York, you can get this from the state Department of Health. For more information, please visit them on the web here:
Take them to your local County Clerk’s Office. Ask the clerk to file them. The clerk will ask you to pay $305 to file your court papers. Give the clerk all your papers and the fee, and the clerk will give you an index number. Write this number in the top-right corner of your:
- Name Change Petition
- Name Change Order
Then, take your forms to the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office. If you cannot afford the fee, ask the clerk for an application to file for free. (This is called an Affidavit in Support of Application to Proceed as a Poor Person.) The Court usually agrees to the name change unless you want to do something illegal with the new name, like use it to trick somebody. In about 2 or 3 weeks after you file your papers, the Court will mail you either:
- A court order that allows you to change your name, or
- A notice rejecting your petition. If this happens, contact the court clerk for information on how to appeal
If the Court agrees to change your name, you must do three more things:
- File the court order with the county clerk
- Publish your name change in a local newspaper. Your publication notice should look like this:
Notice is hereby given that an order entered by the
_______ Court, ____county, on the ___ day of ___, bearing Index Number
____, a copy of which may be examined at the office of the clerk,
located at ____, in room number ____, grants me the right to assume
the name of ___________, the date of my birth is ______, the place of
my birth is _________, my present name is _______.
Prove to the county clerk that you published your name change. To do this you must get and fill out an \"Affidavit of Publication\" from the county clerk.
After you do these last three things, your name change will be final.
