Florida Name Change

Florida Petition For Change of Name

Florida Name Change Form - Adult: "This form is not to be used in connection with a divorce action. If you want a change of name because of a dissolution of marriage that is not yet final, the change of name should be done as part of that case."

This form should be typed or printed in black ink. You must obtain a copy of your fingerprints taken by a law enforcement agency and attach it to the petition. There may be a charge for the fingerprinting which you will have to pay.

Florida Petition for Change of Name

After completing this form, you should sign the form before a notary public or deputy clerk.

You should file the original with Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where you live and keep a copy for your records.

For your Florida name change request to proceed, you must obtain a hearing date.

You should ask the clerk of court, family law intake staff, or judicial assistant to set a date for the final hearing.

You may be required to attend the final hearing and bring a final judgment form with you. Once again, check with the clerk's office if you need to bring a Final Judgment of Change of Name (Adult) form to the final hearing.

If so, you should type or print the heading, including the circuit, county, case number, division, and the parties’ names, and leave the rest blank for the judge to complete at your Florida name change hearing or trial.

If the judge grants your petition, he or she will sign this order. This officially changes your name. The clerk can provide you with certified copies of the signed order. There will be charges for the certified copies, and the clerk can tell you how much those charges are.

Minor Child - Is this the right Florida Name Change Form?

This Florida name change form should be used when parents want the court to change the name of their minor child (under the age of 18).

This form is not to be used in connection with an adoption or paternity action. If you want a change of name for your child(ren) because of an adoption or paternity action that is not yet final, the change of name should be done as part of that case.

This form should be typed or printed in black ink.

The primary Florida name change petition should only be completed for one child. If you wish to change the names of more than one child, you should complete and file a Supplemental Form for Petition for Change of Name (Minor Child) for each child. The supplemental form is an attachment to the petition. Be sure that the bottom of each page of each supplemental form is initialed by the petitioner(s).

You must obtain a copy of the children’s fingerprints taken by a law enforcement agency and attach it to the petition. There may be a charge for the fingerprinting which you will have to pay.

After completing the Florida name change form, you should sign the form before a notary public or deputy clerk. You should file the original with Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where you live and keep a copy for your records.

OK, now what do I do?

For your Florida name change request to proceed, you must obtain a hearing date. There are generally three ways to proceed:

• If both parents agree to the change of name and live in the county where the change of name is sought, you may both file as petitioners.
• If only one parent is a resident of the county where the Florida name change is sought or only one parent asks for the children’s name to be changed, the other parent must be notified and his or her consent obtained, if possible. A Consent for Change of Name (Minor Child(ren)) form should be filed.
• If the other parent does not consent to the change of name, you may still have a hearing on the petition if you have properly notified the other parent using personal service about your Florida name change petition and the hearing.

If you know where he or she lives, you must use personal service.

If you absolutely do not know where he or she lives, you may use constructive service.

The law regarding constructive service is very complex and you may wish to consult an attorney regarding that issue.

For more information about constructive service, limitations, see our page on diligent searches and constructive service.

You may be required to attend the final hearing and bring a final judgment form with you.

Once again, check with the clerk's office if you need to bring a Final Judgment of Change of Name (Minor Child(ren)) form to the final hearing.

If you attend the hearing, you should take the final judgment with you. It should be typed or printed in black ink.

You should complete the top part of the form, including the circuit, county, case number, division, and the name(s) of the petitioner(s) and leave the rest blank for the judge to complete.

If the judge grants your petition, he or she will sign this order. This officially changes your child(ren)’s name(s). The clerk can provide you with certified copies of the signed order. There will be charges for the certified copies, and the clerk can tell you how much those charges are.

Download Your Florida Name Change Forms

• Florida Adult Name Change

• Florida Name Change - Minor Child

• General Information for Self Represented Litigants

How Are We Doing?

You Can Help Us Improve Our Website: First, bookmark our website to find us easily and then give us a vote of confidence by liking us on Facebook; just click on the Facebook Like Button at the top of this page. You can also Recommend and send this page to a friend.

Most of all, please leave us your comments with our new Facebook Comments feature below. We'd love to hear about how you are using our site and how we can improve it to make it more useful for you and other Pro Se litigants in the future.

See These Related Florida Name Change Pages:

Back to Top

Back to Florida Family Law

Back to Florida Family Law Forms

Back to Florida Court Forms from Florida Name Change

Sponsored Advertisements: