To change your name in New Hampshire, file a Petition for Name Change with the Circuit Court’s Probate Division in the county where you live, pay a $170 filing fee plus $25 for a background check, and wait at least 45 days for the court to issue a decree you can then use to update your other records.1New Hampshire Judicial Branch. New Hampshire Circuit Court Filing Fees2New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Name Change – Adult If your name change is tied to a marriage or divorce, you can usually skip the court petition entirely and use the marriage certificate or divorce decree instead.
Who Can File
You must live in the New Hampshire county where you file. The probate court’s authority reaches only residents of its county, and there’s no minimum length of residency written into the statute — you just need to be a resident when you file.3New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 547:3 – Jurisdiction
The court will deny a petition that appears designed to dodge debts, avoid criminal charges, or mislead the public. Judges look closely at applicants with criminal records, particularly for violent offenses or sex offenses, since the process should not help anyone evade law enforcement tracking or public safety registries. Disclose past aliases on the petition. Leaving them off creates avoidable problems.
Forms, Fees, and Filing
The main form is the Petition for Name Change, NHJB-2175-FPe, from the New Hampshire Judicial Branch website or your local Probate Court office.4New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Petition for Name Change It asks for your current legal name, proposed new name, city and state of birth, current address, and phone number, plus a clear explanation of why you want the change. Be specific. Vague answers slow the case down.
You must also submit a Criminal History Record Information Release Authorization, form NHJB-2956-FPe, which lets the court run a State Police background check. That authorization carries its own $25 fee payable to the State of NH Criminal Records unit.5New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Criminal History Record Information Release Authorization Form Bring a certified copy of your birth certificate and a valid government-issued photo ID as well.
File everything with the Circuit Court Probate Division in your county. The Probate Division filing fee is $170, and payment is due at filing whether you submit in person, by mail, or through the Judicial Branch’s e-filing system.1New Hampshire Judicial Branch. New Hampshire Circuit Court Filing Fees6New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Name Change e-Filing Forms If you can’t afford the fee, request a waiver using the Motion to Waive Filing Fee, form NHJB-2759-SUP, with a completed Affidavit of Assets and Liabilities.7New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Motion to Waive Filing Fee
New Hampshire does not require newspaper publication of a name change. That’s one less step and one less cost than many other states impose.
What Happens After You File
A clerk assigns a docket number and a judge reviews the petition. Many petitions get approved without a hearing when the paperwork is complete and no one objects. If the judge wants more information, the court will schedule a hearing. Plan on at least 45 days from filing to receiving your decree.2New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Name Change – Adult
Once the judge signs, the court issues a decree or certificate of name change and typically mails it to you after recording. Order several certified copies at the time of filing. Many agencies will want to see an original, not a photocopy, and updating records goes faster when you can send copies out in parallel.
Changing a Minor’s Name
A parent or legal guardian files the same NHJB-2175-FPe petition on behalf of a child under 18. The added requirement is consent: the non-petitioning parent must sign a Consent to Petition for Name Change form (NHJB-2322-FPe) unless that parent lives at the same address, is deceased, or has had parental rights terminated.8New Hampshire Judicial Branch. Name Change – Minor A child who is 14 or older signs the consent form too.
If the other parent will not consent, you must serve them with notice by certified mail or through a sheriff so they can respond. When consent is missing or an objection comes in, the court will usually hold a hearing. Judges apply a best interest of the child standard, weighing the child’s age, how long they’ve used their current name, the effect on the child’s relationship with each parent, and the child’s own preference when they’re old enough to voice one. If a parent’s whereabouts are unknown, expect to file supplemental documentation showing your efforts to find them.
Marriage and Divorce: When You Don’t Need a Petition
If you’re changing your name because of a marriage, a certified copy of your marriage certificate is generally the legal document you need. No court petition. For marriages from 2015 onward, the certificate captures both your name before the marriage and your chosen legal name after, covering surname and middle name. For marriages before 2015, the certificate shows only the pre-marriage name and can be used to change a surname.9City of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Changing Your Name After Marriage
Only one spouse can use the marriage certificate to change a surname. If both partners want a new surname, the second spouse has to go through the probate petition process described above.
For divorces, name restoration is handled inside the divorce case in the Family Division. Your divorce decree, if it includes the restoration, is your proof for updating other records.
Updating Your Records After the Decree
The decree is the starting line. Several agencies still need to be updated, and the order matters, because later agencies often want to see that earlier ones already reflect the new name.
Social Security Card
Start with Social Security. Complete Form SS-5 and provide your court decree, proof of identity, and proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful status. The SSA requires original or certified documents, not photocopies, and there is no fee for the update.10Social Security Administration. How Do I Change or Correct My Name on My Social Security Number Card
Driver’s License
After Social Security, visit a New Hampshire DMV office in person with your decree and supporting documents to update your license or non-driver ID. This can’t be done online or by mail. Check the DMV site for current document requirements, which vary depending on whether you want a REAL ID-compliant license.11NH Division of Motor Vehicles. FAQs – Driver Licenses/Non Driver IDs/CDL
Birth Certificate
To amend a New Hampshire birth certificate, submit a certified copy of your decree and a notarized amendment application (Form VSCR) to the town clerk in the municipality where you were born. The amendment fee is $10, and each certified copy of the amended certificate is $15.12Town of Windham, New Hampshire. Vital Statistics Records The amended certificate will show both the old and new names. The original entry isn’t erased.
Passport
How you update a passport depends on when it was issued. If it’s less than a year old, submit Form DS-5504 at no charge for standard processing; expedited service is $60. If it’s more than a year old, you’ll renew by mail with Form DS-82 or apply in person with Form DS-11 depending on eligibility.13U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport A standard adult passport book is $130 in application fees, and in-person applications add a $35 acceptance fee.14U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
Everything Else
Beyond the major government records, update your name with banks, employers, insurance companies, the IRS, voter registration, and any professional licensing boards. Keep several certified copies of your decree on hand. Working through these in the first few weeks after the decree issues keeps old and new names from colliding on important paperwork later.