Florida Name Change: Petition, Hearing, and Updating Records

A legal Florida name change for an adult starts with a petition filed under Florida Statutes Section 68.07 in the circuit court of the county where you live. You’ll disclose a detailed personal history under oath, submit fingerprints for a state and federal background check, and attend a short hearing. Filing costs roughly $400, the background check adds $50 to $75, and the full process typically runs six to eight weeks from filing to final judgment.¹

When You Don’t Need a Court Petition

If you’re taking a spouse’s name through marriage or restoring a former name through divorce, you probably don’t need to file anything in court. A marriage certificate is itself a legal name change document, and you can use it directly to update your Social Security card, driver’s license, passport, and financial accounts. A hyphenated combination of both spouses’ names works the same way as long as it appears on the certificate.

For divorce, the simplest path is asking the judge to include the name restoration in the final divorce judgment. Florida courts routinely grant this, and the certified decree then functions like a marriage certificate for updating records. If you didn’t request restoration during the divorce and change your mind later, you’ll need a separate name change petition. One benefit: a former-name restoration petition is exempt from the fingerprinting and background check that applies to other name changes.¹

Who Can File in Florida

You must be a Florida resident, and you file in the county where you live. The statute requires that you be a “bona fide resident” domiciled in the filing county.¹ There’s no minimum number of months you need to have lived in the state, but a Florida driver’s license, voter registration, lease, or utility bills in your name all help establish the connection.

Recent arrivals should expect closer scrutiny. Employment records, a signed lease, or proof of children enrolled in local schools help demonstrate that you intend to stay. Judges have discretion here, and inconsistencies between your claimed address and your supporting documents will raise questions.

What the Petition Must Include

Adults use Form 12.982(a), available through the Florida State Courts website.² The petition is a sworn document, and it covers more personal history than most people expect:

Your date and place of birth, your parents’ names, and everywhere you’ve lived since birth (if known).
Your spouse’s name if you’re married, and the names, ages, and locations of any children.
Your occupation and employment for the past five years. If you own a business, you describe it; if you work in a profession, you list your education and degrees.
Any prior name change, including when, where, and which court approved it.
Any arrest, charge, guilty plea, or criminal finding, regardless of whether you were formally adjudicated guilty. Convictions alone aren’t the standard.
Whether you’ve ever declared bankruptcy or had a money judgment entered against you.
Whether your civil rights were ever suspended and whether they’ve been fully restored.
An affirmation that you aren’t filing for any illegal purpose and that the change won’t infringe on anyone else’s rights.

That last point carries real weight. The judge is looking for any sign that the name change is designed to avoid a debt, escape a criminal record, or mislead someone. Be straightforward about your reasons.¹

Fingerprints and Background Check

Every adult petitioner must submit fingerprints for a state and federal criminal background check before the court will schedule a hearing. The only exception is a former-name restoration. Fingerprints must be taken electronically through an FDLE-approved livescan provider, and the results go directly to the clerk of court. You won’t see them yourself.¹

When you file, the clerk’s office will tell you where to get fingerprinted. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains a statewide list of registered providers.³ Fingerprinting runs around $50 to $75, and the results take several weeks. That wait is what usually stretches the overall timeline.

A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you. The statute requires the judge to consider the results, but there’s no blanket prohibition for people with convictions. The check does specifically flag whether you’re registered as a sexual predator or sexual offender, and those cases receive heightened scrutiny. If a registered offender’s name change is approved, the clerk must notify FDLE electronically within two business days, and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles monitors whether the person updates their identification on time.¹

Name Changes for Children

At least one parent or legal guardian must file for a minor. A family can also combine petitions, so a husband, wife, and minor children can all join in a single filing.¹

When only one parent files, the other parent must be formally served with notice. If the non-petitioning parent lives out of state and can’t be located through reasonable efforts, Florida law allows constructive notice through publication, and proof of that publication must be filed with the court.¹ This is one of the few Florida name change situations where publication applies. Adult petitions for yourself don’t require newspaper publication.

If both parents agree, things move quickly. If the other parent objects, the court holds a hearing and evaluates whether the change genuinely benefits the child. Judges weigh the child’s relationship with each parent, the potential for confusion in school or medical settings, and (for older children) the child’s own preference. Courts tend to be cautious about changes that could be perceived as distancing a child from a parent’s identity.

Fees and Fee Waivers

The court filing fee is approximately $400, though the exact amount varies slightly by county. Fingerprinting adds $50 to $75. Once the judge approves your petition, you’ll want several certified copies of the final judgment. Florida’s statutory certification fee is $2.00 per document, plus $1.00 per page for paper copies. Electronic certified copies, where available, cost about $8.00. Plan on three or four copies at minimum, because the Social Security Administration, DHSMV, your bank, and your employer will each want one.

If you can’t afford the filing fee, Florida allows a fee waiver based on financial hardship. You apply through the clerk of court. The clerk will approve the waiver if your household income falls at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. If the clerk denies the application, you can ask a judge to review the decision and consider additional factors, including whether paying the fee would create a substantial hardship for your family.⁴

The Hearing and Timeline

Once your background check results reach the clerk, the court schedules a hearing. The statute technically allows a hearing immediately after filing, but in practice the background check creates a wait of several weeks. Most petitioners see six to eight weeks from filing to final judgment.

The hearing itself is brief. The judge confirms your identity, reviews the background check, and asks about your reasons. If everything checks out and no one has objected, you’ll leave with an approved Final Judgment of Change of Name. If the judge denies the petition, they’ll explain why, and you may be able to address the deficiency and refile.

Updating Your Records After the Court Order

The court order is the halfway point. From there, update agencies in order, because each step builds on the last.

Social Security Card

Start here. Other agencies check your name against Social Security’s records. Begin online at ssa.gov or visit a local office with your certified court order and a photo ID. The SSA requires original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency, not photocopies or notarized copies.⁵ The replacement card is free.

Florida Driver’s License or State ID

Florida law gives you 30 days after a name change to update your driver’s license or state ID.⁶ This has to be done in person at a DHSMV office or at a tax collector’s office that handles licenses. Bring your certified court order, your updated Social Security card (or proof you’ve applied for one), and proof of residential address.

U.S. Passport

The form you use depends on how recently your current passport was issued and whether it’s still valid. Form DS-5504 covers corrections to passports issued within the past year; DS-82 covers renewals; DS-11 covers expired passports or first-time applicants.⁷ Include the certified court order in every case.

IRS and Tax Records

The IRS learns about name changes mainly through Social Security, so updating SSA records is the key step. If you’ve also moved or want to flag the change directly, submit Form 8822.⁸ A mismatch between the name on your return and SSA’s records can delay a refund.

Banks, Employer, and Everything Else

Contact your bank, credit cards, mortgage servicer, student loan servicer, employer payroll, health insurance, car title and registration, voter registration (through your county Supervisor of Elections), professional licenses, and utility accounts. Most will ask for a copy of the court order and a current photo ID. Keep a checklist and several certified copies on hand.

If You’re a Naturalized Citizen or Non-Citizen

Naturalized citizens who want the Certificate of Naturalization to reflect a new name file Form N-565 with USCIS, along with the required fee. A fee waiver may be available for those who qualify.⁹

Permanent residents and other non-citizens with USCIS-issued documents must provide evidence of the name change, such as the court order, and generally file a new form to get replacement documents. If you have an immigration application already pending, you can upload a letter explaining the change along with supporting documentation through your USCIS online account or in response to any request for evidence.¹⁰ Global Entry and TSA PreCheck memberships are updated separately after your passport reflects the new name.

1
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes Section 68.07 – Change of Name
2
Florida State Courts. Petition for Change of Name (Adult)
3
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Current Registered LiveScan Submitters
4
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes Section 57.082 – Determination of Civil Indigent Status
5
Social Security Administration. U.S. Citizen – Adult Name Change on Social Security Card
6
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes Section 322.19 – Change of Name or Address
7
U.S. Department of State. Passport Forms
8
Internal Revenue Service. Form 8822 – Change of Address
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Replacement of Naturalization/Citizenship Document
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them