How Much Does It Cost to Change Your Last Name in Minnesota?

The cost to change your last name in Minnesota runs about $400 to $650 if you file a standalone court petition, and close to nothing if the change happens through a marriage license or a divorce decree. The $310 district court filing fee is the biggest single line item; the rest is legal-newspaper publication, certified copies of the order, and small fees to update your IDs afterward.¹

The $310 Court Filing Fee

A standalone name-change petition is filed in the district court of the county where you live, and the filing fee is $310.¹ You must have been a Minnesota resident for at least six months to file.² The fee is the same whether you’re changing a first name, a last name, or both.

Hiring a lawyer is optional. For a straightforward adult petition with no felony history or custody issues, attorney fees generally run $1,000 to $3,000 or more. Most adults can file an uncomplicated petition themselves using the forms from the Minnesota Judicial Branch.

If You’re Changing Your Name Through Marriage or Divorce

If the reason for the change is a marriage, you don’t need a court petition at all. Minnesota lets you choose your new name on the marriage license application, and the license issued by the local registrar showing your name before and after the marriage serves as your legal name change.³ Your only cost is the marriage license fee, which varies by county and is well below $310. There’s no publication requirement and no separate hearing.

One exception: if either spouse has a felony conviction, that person cannot change a name through the marriage license and has to use the standard court petition with the additional felony-notice requirements.³

Divorce works similarly. A Minnesota judge can restore your former name as part of the divorce decree, and a certified copy of that judgment is typically all you need to update your records. There’s no separate name-change filing fee because the restoration is folded into the divorce. If you want your former name back, ask your attorney or the court to include name-restoration language in the decree.

Publication in a Legal Newspaper

For a standalone petition, Minnesota courts generally require you to publish notice of the name change in a qualified legal newspaper in the county where you file, typically in two consecutive issues. Costs vary by newspaper. Expect somewhere between $80 and $300, with rural papers on the lower end and metro-area papers on the higher end. After the notice runs, the newspaper provides an affidavit of publication that you file with the court.

Courts can waive or seal publication in limited situations, such as a name change connected to witness or victim protection.²

Certified Copies of the Order

Once the court grants the change, you’ll want several certified copies of the order, because every agency that updates your records will ask for one and some won’t give it back. Each certified copy costs $14.⁴ Three to five copies ($42 to $70) is a reasonable starting point. Social Security, the DMV, your bank, and your employer may all need an original certified copy at overlapping times, so having extras saves weeks of mailing documents back and forth.

If You Can’t Afford the Filing Fee

You can ask the court to let you proceed “in forma pauperis,” meaning at reduced or no cost. You file an affidavit about your finances, and the court will grant the waiver if you receive certain public assistance, are represented by a legal aid attorney based on financial need, or have an annual income at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty line.⁵

If you don’t fully qualify, the court can still order a reduced fee of $75 or partial payment if it finds you can’t afford the full amount, and a waiver can cover certified copies too.⁵

What You’ll Spend Updating Your Documents

The court order is the starting point, not the finish line. Order matters: update Social Security first, then your driver’s license, then everything else.

Social Security Card

Updating your name with the Social Security Administration is free.⁶ Bring your certified court order (or marriage certificate) and a current ID. Do this first because other agencies often verify your name through Social Security.

Minnesota Driver’s License or State ID

After Social Security, visit a Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services office with your certified court order or marriage certificate and your current license. DVS charges a replacement-card fee; check the current amount with your local DVS office, since it changes periodically.

U.S. Passport

If your current passport was issued less than one year ago and you legally changed your name within that same window, you can submit Form DS-5504 at no cost for routine processing; expedited service carries an added fee.⁷ If more than a year has passed since your passport was issued or your name was changed, you have to apply for a new passport at current application fees, which vary by age.⁸

Birth Certificate

To amend your Minnesota birth certificate, the Minnesota Department of Health charges a $40 nonrefundable processing fee for the amendment, plus the cost of a new certified birth certificate.⁹ This step is optional. The court order itself proves your legal name, but a matching birth certificate can simplify later paperwork.

Banks, Employers, and Other Accounts

Updating your name with banks, credit cards, insurers, and your employer is generally free with a certified copy of the court order or marriage certificate. Make a list of every account, subscription, and institution that has your name on file. Vehicle titles, professional licenses, and voter registration are easy to forget.

1
Minnesota Judicial Branch. District Court Fees
2
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 259.10 – General Requirements
3
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 517.08 – Marriage License
4
Minnesota Judicial Branch. Copy Requests
5
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 563.01 – Proceedings In Forma Pauperis
6
Social Security Administration. What Does It Cost to Get a Social Security Card?
7
U.S. Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
8
U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
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Minnesota Department of Health. Birth Record Amendment Packet