How to Change Your Last Name in Washington State

To change your last name in Washington State, you have three legal routes: take a spouse’s name through a marriage license, restore or change a name through a divorce decree, or file a petition for a name change in court. Washington does not require you to publish the change in a newspaper. Which route fits depends entirely on whether the change is tied to marriage, divorce, or neither.

Changing Your Name Through Marriage

Marriage is the simplest path. When you apply for a marriage license, you indicate that you want to take your spouse’s last name or a hyphenated version. Once the ceremony happens and the license is filed with the county, the certified marriage certificate is your legal proof of the new name. No separate court petition is required.¹

One boundary to know: a marriage-based change in Washington covers only your last name. To change your first or middle name as well, you have to go through the court petition process.

Changing Your Name Through Divorce

In a Washington dissolution of marriage, you can ask the court to restore a former last name as part of the case, and the court is required to grant that request.² The judge may also order a change to a different name entirely if there is good reason. Your final decree then serves as the legal name change document.

Filing a Court Petition

If your change has nothing to do with marriage or divorce, you need a court order under RCW 4.24.130. The process is more straightforward than most people expect.

The Petition and ID

The Washington statewide courts site does not host the Petition for Name Change form. You get it from the specific county court where you plan to file, and most counties post it on their local website.¹ The petition asks for your current legal name, your desired new name, your date and place of birth, and your current address. Bring valid photo identification when you file: a driver’s license, passport, military ID, or naturalization documents are all acceptable.³

Where to File

Most petitions go to District Court, and you can file in any county in Washington, not just the one where you live.⁴ Certain sealed changes go to Superior Court instead; those are covered further down.

Fees and Fee Waivers

You pay two separate fees: a court filing fee and a county auditor’s recording fee. Totals vary by county. In Clallam County, for example, the filing fee is $93 and the recording fee brings the total to $296.50.⁵ Call the court where you plan to file to confirm current amounts.

If you cannot afford the fees, the statute requires the court to waive all filing and recording fees when you submit an affidavit of financial hardship. A qualified nonprofit legal services provider can also submit the affidavit on your behalf.⁴

The Hearing

After you file, the clerk schedules a hearing before a judge. It is typically brief. The judge reviews your petition, has you confirm under oath that the information is accurate, and checks that you are not seeking the change for a fraudulent or illegal reason.⁶ If the petition is granted, the judge signs an Order for Name Change and your new name is legally effective immediately.

Sealed Name Changes in Superior Court

Washington provides a confidential path when the name change is:

Related to gender expression or identity, or
Due to domestic violence, stalking, unlawful harassment, or coercive control, or a reasonable fear of any of these.

Emancipated minors and people who have received asylum, refugee, or special immigrant juvenile status also file in Superior Court. When the court grants a sealed change, the entire file is closed to public inspection. No one can access the filing, the proceeding, or the order without a separate court order showing good cause, unless you request access yourself.⁴

Changing a Child’s Last Name

A parent or court-appointed guardian can petition to change a child’s last name through the same general process as an adult petition. The court will usually require notice to the other parent or guardian, which adds time and complexity if that person objects. You generally cannot change a child’s name inside a divorce or parentage case unless domestic violence is involved and the judge allows the cases to be combined, which is uncommon and typically requires an attorney.

When a Judge Can Deny the Petition

A Washington judge has discretion to deny a petition, and certain people face extra requirements.

A name change cannot be used to dodge debts, avoid law enforcement, or commit fraud. The judge asks about this at the hearing.
Anyone under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections must send a copy of the application to the department at least five days before the hearing. The court can deny the petition if it would interfere with legitimate correctional interests, though it cannot deny changes for religious or cultural reasons, or changes tied to marriage or divorce.⁴
Anyone required to register under Washington’s sex offender registry law must follow the additional procedures in RCW 9A.44.130(7).⁴

Updating Your Identity Documents

The court order, marriage certificate, or divorce decree is only half the job. Records do not update automatically, and the order matters because later agencies check that earlier ones have already processed the change.

Social Security First

Start with the Social Security Administration. Most other agencies need your SSA record to match your new name before they will act. You can request a replacement Social Security card online in some situations or make an appointment at a local office.⁷ Bring your certified name change document — court order, marriage certificate, or divorce decree — along with proof of identity. The document must show both your old and new names. If the change happened more than two years ago, you may also need to prove your identity under both names.⁸

Washington Driver’s License or State ID

After SSA processes the change, visit a Washington Department of Licensing office to update your driver’s license or state ID. Bring a document proving your new name. A revised card costs $20.⁹ You need an appointment, and you must update SSA first.¹⁰

Passport

If your name changed within one year of your most recent passport being issued, you can update it at no cost using Form DS-5504.¹¹ After a year, you renew by mail using Form DS-82 and pay the standard renewal fee: $130 for a passport book or $30 for a passport card. Include a certified copy of your name change document with either application.¹²

Taxes and Employer Records

The IRS does not automatically learn about your name change. If the name on your tax return does not match SSA’s records, your refund can be delayed. The cleanest fix is to update SSA before filing season. If you have already filed or cannot update in time, use your former name on the return to avoid a mismatch. Ask your employer to update your records so future W-2s reflect the new name; if a wrong-name W-2 or 1099 arrives and no corrected form is available in time, you can note the correct name on the copies you file with your return.¹³

TSA PreCheck and Global Entry

Your travel name must match your ID. Contact the enrollment provider you originally applied through to update your record. If you skip this step, your PreCheck benefits stop working until the change is processed.¹⁴

Immigration Documents

Naturalized citizens who want a Certificate of Naturalization updated file Form N-565 with USCIS along with evidence of the name change. USCIS can only change the name if the change happened after naturalization.¹⁵ Permanent residents file Form I-90 for a replacement green card with the updated name.¹⁶ Check the current USCIS fee schedule before filing.

Everything Else

Work through the rest of your accounts with your certified document in hand. Banks generally require an in-person branch visit with photo ID. Also notify your insurance providers, the post office, voter registration (through your county elections office or when you renew your driver’s license), your mortgage company or landlord, and any professional licensing boards. Healthcare providers who hold a National Provider Identifier must report a name change within 30 days.¹⁷

1
Washington State Courts. Name Changes
2
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 26.09.150 – Decree of Dissolution of Marriage or Domestic Partnership, Legal Separation
3
Snohomish County, WA. Name Changes
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Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 4.24.130 – Action for Change of Name, Fees
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Clallam County. Name Change
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Franklin County, WA. Name Change
7
Social Security Administration. Change Name with Social Security
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Social Security Administration. Application for a Social Security Card
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Washington State Department of Licensing. Driver Licensing Fees
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Washington State Department of Licensing. Change Your Name or Address on Your Driver License
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U.S. Department of State. DS-5504 Application for a U.S. Passport for Eligible Individuals
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U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
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Internal Revenue Service. Name Changes and Social Security Number Matching Issues
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Transportation Security Administration. My Personal Information Has Changed. How Do I Update My Information So That I Can Continue to Receive TSA PreCheck?
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
16
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
17
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. National Provider Identifier (NPI) Application/Update Form