How Much Does It Cost To Change Your Name?

People decide to go through the process of changing their names for various reasons. Time and money invested might be increased or decreased according to the nature of the cause for the adjustment. Let’s look at some possible outcomes for changing your name as well as how much it costs to change your name.

How To Change Your Name? All the processes you need to know

If you want to change your name officially, a court will require you to follow these procedures.

1. Obtain all Necessary Forms and Complete Them

This might consist of filling out an application, writing a petition to change your name, and submitting other necessary paperwork. In some instances, you may additionally be required to pay a filing fee.

2. Undergo Background Checks

You may be required to submit to a background check by the FBI and have your fingerprints taken, depending on the state where you reside and the reason for changing your name. In addition, fees are required for each of these options.

3. Publish a Public Notice if Needed

Your state may require you to publish a public notice if you alter your name. This requires you to announce your new name in a publication such as a local newspaper. There are circumstances where this prerequisite may be waived, but the decision to do so is solely within the court’s purview. When you publish notice of your name change, you open the door for anybody to object, and they have a certain amount of time to do so before the court sets a deadline.

4. Participate in a Name-Change Hearing.

After you have fulfilled any requirements for the publication of notice of your name change, you may be asked to attend a hearing in front of a judge. Before deciding on your request, the court will consider your petition and any objections raised. If the change is allowed by the court, you should get a copy of the court order and use it to alter your name on official papers. If the court does not allow the change, you should not get a copy of the court order.

5. Bring All of Your Official Documents Up to Date

After obtaining a court order from which you are granted permission to change your name, you will need to make changes to essential records of identification, such as your driver’s license or another form of identification issued by the state, your birth certificate, your Social Security card, and your passport. No need to alter your birth certificate even if you were married or divorced and changed your name after such life events.

6. Keep Documentation of Your Old Name

After changing your name, it is vital to ensure that all your documents, including those about your finances and other aspects of your life, are accurate.

Why does The Cost Vary?

The cost of name change may vary anywhere from less than $100 to more than $500, depending on the state in which you live. The fees that must be paid in many states differ according to the county.

Therefore, verifying with the district court, family court, or probate court clerk in your area is essential. There are still some states that have levies that are far lower than $100. The costs are higher in states with larger populations, ranging from an additional 120 dollars to more than 500 dollars. With one notable exception, Louisiana, which ranks very high on the scale,

If you hire an attorney, you will be responsible for paying legal fees, but you may use an online legal service to complete the paperwork your county requires for you at no additional name change cost. The following are examples of other charges:

  • Copies of the court order that have been validated with your signature.
  • Cards with a person’s fingerprints are a common form of identification in Texas and other states.
  • Background checks are something that may be done in some states.
  • If you change your name, the law in several jurisdictions requires you to announce the change in a local newspaper.
  • Your state and county require several different court costs.
  • Getting several certified copies of your court order is best since you will be required to show it to various governmental agencies and private organizations.

Changing your name is often a straightforward process; however, the requirements for doing so might be more stringent in certain states than in others. You should seek the advice of a family lawyer if you are hesitant about changing your name and have the financial means to cover the cost. Make sure you ask the attorney how much does it cost to change your name and find out how much the county will name change cost.

Costing Of Changing Names

If you want to change your name, you could have to pay various fees, and the specifics of those costs will alter based on the state or county in which you live. You are in search of how much does it cost to change your name so that the costs associated with doing an identical task in one state will differ from those incurred by a buddy in an adjacent state.

Changing your name, however, will almost certainly cost you anything from roughly $50 to even more than $500.

Can You Change Your Name For Free?

After they marry or divorce, most individuals change their names. You may put your desired name on your marriage license if you get married in specified regions. The only cost is the licensing charge. You may use your partner’s last name, a hyphenated name, or, in some instances, a combination of both last names.

A court order is necessary for specific locations to create a combination name, although, in others, the combination name may be legally included on your marriage license. During divorce procedures, you may ask the court to change your name. Women often want the restoration of their maiden names.

Similarly, a man should rethink using his wife’s maiden name as his middle name. You may ask the court to change your name in the divorce decree during the divorce process for free. While not all courts recognize male name changes, some states are expected to do so shortly.

An adopted child may usually get a new name throughout the adoption process without filing a separate name change petition. While filing and legal costs apply in divorce and adoption processes, changing your name or the name of your adopted child occurs as a result of your request to the court. In these circumstances, you will not be needed to file a second name change petition.

What If My Request To Change My Name Is Denied?

Your name change request may be refused (but this is unlikely if you follow our advice above). The following are the two most common reasons for a name change request being denied:

  • You chose a name that is against the rules (for example, you requested a name that is profane, deceptive, ambiguous, and so on).
  • You skipped a stage in the procedure (e.g., your state requires you to publish your name change petition in the local newspaper for 10 days before you file, and you still need to do so).

If the clerk of court or the judge declines your name change request, you will get a notice of refusal stating why. The notification should include clarifying your ability to appeal the judgment and the period for doing so.

If you made a mistake or forgot a form throughout the procedure, you can modify your file by including the missing papers within a particular time frame. Keep an eye on the clock so that you can see your window.

Why May You Want To Change Your Name?

You are not required to have genuine cause to change your name, as long as it is not for any fraudulent purpose, such as avoiding paying a bill or meeting an obligation – you are free to alter your name at any time. However, the most typical reasons for name changes are:

  • If you marry or get into a civil partnership or if you wish to assume your partner’s name
  • Whether your divorce, terminate a civil partnership or end a long-term relationship
  • To acquire a double-barrelled name after marrying or entering into a civil partnership.
  • To feel more like a new family member, such as a step-family.
  • To honor or recognize another individual, such as a family member or ancestor.
  • To restore a previously modified family surname.
  • As part of a gender change
  • Because you loathe your present name
  • To distance oneself from a particular person, moment, or incident in your life.
  • To keep a past partner from discovering you.
  • To anglicize a foreign name, that is, to modify the form or spelling to make it more understandable to English speakers.
  • To de-anglicize a previously anglicized name
  • To identify with or fit into another culture, nation, or religion.
  • To alter or modify the spelling of your name.
  • to make your name shorter (e.g., by taking away middle names)
  • Because your name was registered wrongly (e.g., your forename and surname were recorded the wrong way around, or there was a spelling problem in one of the names) as a condition of a will or inheritance
  • For frivolous reasons