How to Change Your Last Name in Florida: Petition, Hearing, and Records

To change your last name in Florida, you either use a marriage certificate or divorce decree if the change comes from one of those events, or you file a Petition for Change of Name in the circuit court of the county where you live. The court route runs through Florida Statutes Section 68.07, requires fingerprints and a background check, ends with a short hearing, and typically takes six to ten weeks and roughly $450 in fees.¹

If Your Name Change Comes From Marriage or Divorce

You don’t need a court petition for either of these. A certified marriage license is the only legal document required to update your name with the Social Security Administration, the DMV, your bank, and other institutions. Request a few certified copies from the clerk of court where the license was issued and use those to work through your updates.

In a divorce, you can ask the judge to restore your former name as part of the final judgment. The request needs to appear in your Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, and you’ll spell out your full former name at the final hearing so the judgment records it correctly.² Certified copies of the signed judgment then function the same way a court-ordered name change does. One limit worth knowing: the divorce route only restores a prior legal name. It won’t let you adopt a brand-new one.

Who Can File a Name Change Petition

If your change isn’t tied to a marriage or divorce, you petition the circuit court under Section 68.07. You must be a current Florida resident, and you file in the county where you live.¹ Courts generally expect at least six months of residency before accepting a filing.

The court won’t grant a name change sought for fraudulent reasons, such as evading debts, criminal charges, or creditors. Your petition must include a sworn statement that you have no illegal purpose and that the change won’t invade anyone else’s rights.³

If you have a felony conviction, the petition must state either that your civil rights were never suspended or that they have been fully restored. Without that statement, the court won’t hear the case.¹ Registration as a sexual predator or sexual offender will surface on the background check, and the judge weighs that when deciding the petition.

Filing the Petition

The form is Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.982(a), “Petition for Change of Name (Adult).” It asks for your current legal name, the name you want, your date of birth, place of birth, your parents’ names, and your reason for the change.³ Check every field. Clerks reject petitions with inconsistencies or missing information, and the filing fee doesn’t come back.

File the completed petition with the clerk of the circuit court in your county along with a valid photo ID. The filing fee is approximately $401, though it varies slightly by county, and it’s non-refundable.⁴

Fee Waiver

If you can’t afford the fee, apply for a determination of civil indigent status through the clerk’s office. You qualify if your household income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. A denial by the clerk can be reviewed by a judge based on whether paying would create substantial hardship for your family.⁵

Restoring a Former Name Without a Divorce

If you’re restoring a former legal name outside a divorce, say reverting to a maiden name years later, you file the same petition but you’re exempt from the fingerprinting and criminal background check requirement.¹ That saves the FDLE fee and the fingerprinting cost, and it shortens the timeline because the court doesn’t have to wait for results.

Fingerprints and Background Check

Unless you’re restoring a former name, Florida law requires fingerprints for a combined state and national criminal history check before your hearing. The clerk’s office will explain how to submit them. Typically you go to the sheriff’s office or an authorized fingerprinting provider, and prints are transmitted electronically to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.¹

FDLE charges $36 for the combined state and federal check. The sheriff’s office generally charges around $10 for the electronic fingerprinting, and private providers may charge more.⁶ Results go directly to the clerk of court, including any sexual predator or offender registration. A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you, but the judge sees the whole picture.

The Hearing

Once the petition, fingerprints, and background results are on file, you request a hearing. Some counties schedule it automatically; others require a separate Request for Hearing form.⁷ Expect four to eight weeks before your hearing date, which usually arrives by mail.⁸

The hearing is short. You appear before the judge, confirm the information in your petition, and explain why you want the change. The judge is watching for fraud, evasion of legal obligations, or gaps in the record. If everything checks out, most judges approve the petition the same day. If the judge has concerns, expect follow-up questions or a request for more documentation before a ruling.

Your Final Judgment of Change of Name

When the judge grants the petition, the court issues a Final Judgment of Change of Name. That document is your legal proof, and you’ll need certified copies of it for almost every record update that follows. Request several from the clerk’s office at the same time. Certification runs around $2 per document plus a small per-page copy fee, with the exact amount varying by county.

Updating Your Records in the Right Order

With certified copies of your court order (or marriage certificate or divorce decree) in hand, work through your records in this sequence. The order matters, because each agency verifies your identity against the previous one.

Social Security First

Start with Social Security. Complete Form SS-5 and bring it to a Social Security office along with your court order and a current photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. The name change document must show both your old and new names.⁹ There’s no fee. Allow 24 to 48 hours after the SSA updates its records before moving to the DMV.¹⁰

Florida Driver’s License or State ID

Florida law requires you to update your driver’s license or state ID within 30 days of the name change.¹⁰ This has to be done in person at an FLHSMV or tax collector office; you can’t do it online. Bring your court order or marriage certificate and your current credential. The replacement fee is $25, and tax collector offices may add a $6.25 service charge.¹¹ Your SSA record must already reflect the new name before the DMV will process the change.¹²

Vehicle Title and Registration

The same 30-day deadline applies to your vehicle title and registration.¹⁰ The transfer or duplicate title fee is $75.25, plus $2.50 for service and handling if you need a paper title printed.¹¹

U.S. Passport

How you update your passport depends on timing. If your passport was issued and your name legally changed within the past year, submit Form DS-5504 by mail with your current passport, your name change document, and a new photo. There’s no application fee unless you want expedited service, which costs $60.¹³ If more than a year has passed, you renew with Form DS-82 by mail or apply fresh with Form DS-11 in person. The renewal fee for an adult passport book is $130.¹⁴

Tax Records

There’s no separate IRS form. When SSA updates your record, the IRS receives the new name from them. What matters is that the name on your next return matches SSA’s records, because a mismatch will delay your refund. If you changed your name mid-year and your employer already issued a W-2 in your old name, ask for a corrected form. For married couples filing jointly where one spouse hasn’t updated with SSA yet, use the former name on that return to avoid processing delays.¹⁵

Other Accounts

Work through the rest roughly in order of financial importance. There’s no legal deadline for most of these, but mismatched names create problems that compound.

Bank, credit card, investment, and retirement accounts. Most accept a mailed or uploaded copy of the legal document; banks usually want an in-person visit with photo ID.
Voter registration. Florida lets you update your voter registration through the county Supervisor of Elections website or when you renew your driver’s license.
Professional licenses. Contact the relevant licensing board. The Florida Board of Medicine, for example, requires your license number, old and new names, date of birth, last four of your Social Security number, and a copy of the legal document. A Social Security card alone will not be accepted as legal documentation.
Insurance policies. Health, auto, homeowner’s, and life. A mismatch between your legal name and your policy can complicate a claim.

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 68 – Change of Name
2
15th Circuit. Post Dissolution Name Change Information
3
Jefferson County Clerk of Court. Petition for Adult Name Change
4
Broward County Clerk. Fees and Costs
5
Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 57.082 – Determination of Civil Indigent Status
6
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Criminal History Record Check Fee Schedule
7
Escambia Clerk of Court. Self-Help Procedures for Filing a Petition for Change of Name (Adult)
8
Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. Name Change Adult
9
Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
10
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Name and Address Changes
11
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
12
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Renew or Replace Your Florida Driver License or ID Card
13
U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport
14
U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
15
Internal Revenue Service. Name Changes and Social Security Number Matching Issues