Florida Name Change
Petition For Change of Name Instructions
Florida Name Change: instructions, help, resources and free forms. This Florida name change form should be used when an adult wants the court to change his or her 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."
You must obtain a copy of your fingerprints taken by a law enforcement agency and attach it to the petition.
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.
Special Notes
The heading of the form calls for the name of the petitioner. Your current name should go there, as you are the one who is asking the court for something. The judicial circuit, case number, and division may be obtained from the clerk of court’s office when you file the petition.
It may be helpful to compile a list of all of the people and/or places that will need a copy of your final judgment. This list may include the driver’s license office, social security office, banks, schools, etc. A list will help you know how many copies of your order you should get from the clerk of court after your 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 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.
How to proceed with your name change case
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.
What is Service?
Service means giving a copy of the required papers to the other party using the procedure that the law requires.
There are 4 ways to make service:
- personal service
- service by mail
- hand delivery
- constructive service
Personal service means when a summons and a copy of a petition (or other pleading) that has been filed with the court are delivered by a deputy sheriff or private process server to the other party. Personal service is required for all petitions and supplemental petitions..
When personal service is required, you cannot serve these papers on the other party yourself or by mail or hand delivery. Personal service must be performed by someone who can legally do so by law, usually the county sheriff or by a licensed process server.
Constructive service means service by publication. Service by publication is posting a legal notice on a court approved publication, usually a local newspaper. If the party that needs to be served cannot be located and service is required, constructive service can be used.
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.
Download your Florida name change forms...
• Florida Name Change - Minor Child
• General Information for Self Represented Litigants
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Your legal documents ready to file at a price you can afford!
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Your court papers will be in your hands and ready to file in as little as three days! We guarantee our work. Just ask us for a quote.
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