How to Change Your Name in New York: Petition, Fees, and Records

To change your name in New York, you file a petition with the court in the county where you live, pay a filing fee between $65 and $210, and wait for a judge to sign an order approving the new name. Once the order is signed, you use certified copies of it to update your records with the Social Security Administration, the DMV, and everyone else. Since a 2021 law change, most petitioners no longer have to publish a newspaper notice, which used to be the slowest and most exposing part of the process.

When You Don’t Need a Court Petition

Marriage and divorce are the two situations where a court petition isn’t required. If you’re getting married, you write your new middle and last name on the marriage license application, and the marriage certificate becomes your legal proof. Your first name stays the same. Your last name options include your spouse’s last name, either spouse’s former last name, a combined name made from parts of both names, or a hyphenated version.¹

In a divorce, you can ask the court to restore any last name you used before the marriage. You cannot use the divorce to adopt a new name you’ve never had. The divorce judgment itself works the same way a court order would for updating records.¹

Every other name change goes through the petition process below.

Who Can File and Where

Any New York resident can petition. The petition goes to the county court or supreme court in the county where you live. If you live in New York City, you have a third option: any branch of the NYC Civil Court, which charges a lower filing fee.²

A parent, legal guardian, or “next friend” acting in a child’s best interest can petition on behalf of a minor. Children 14 or older but under 18 must also sign a consent form in front of a notary.²

Filing Fees

The filing fee is $210 in Supreme Court or County Court.³ In New York City Civil Court, it drops to $65.⁴ Filing in Supreme Court also requires a Request for Judicial Intervention to get a judge assigned; there’s no extra charge for that form.

If you can’t afford the fee, submit an Application to Waive Court Costs, Fees, and Expenses (Form UCS-FW1). It asks for your income, assets, and financial obligations so the judge can decide whether a waiver is appropriate.⁵ A waiver covers court costs only. If the judge requires newspaper publication in your case, you pay those costs yourself.³

What Goes in the Petition

The Name Change Petition is the main document. Sign it in front of a notary. Along with it, submit a Proposed Order for the judge to sign if the request is approved. Bring proof of birth, proof of where you live, and a valid ID.³

The petition also requires disclosure of:

Any criminal convictions, including time served. Attach a Certificate of Disposition if you have one.
Any bankruptcy, with the date the judgment was entered and its terms.
Judgments or liens against you, listing who they’re owed to and the amounts.
Pending lawsuits, with the parties, the reason, and which court.
Child or spousal support obligations, with a copy of the support order.

These disclosures let the judge check whether the name change might be used to dodge debts, hide a criminal record, or interfere with support. Leaving something out is worse than disclosing it. Judges deny petitions when they suspect fraud, and an incomplete petition raises that suspicion faster than an honest criminal history does.³

What the Judge Does

Once you file, a judge reviews the petition. If nothing raises concern, the judge signs the order without a hearing. If the petition reveals criminal convictions, pending lawsuits, or incomplete disclosures, the judge may schedule a hearing to ask questions before deciding.

Newspaper Publication Is Gone for Most Petitioners

Before December 2021, every name change petitioner had to publish a notice in a local newspaper, listing both the old and new name. Senate Bill S4402B eliminated that requirement for most petitioners.⁶ Under current law, the order is entered and the papers filed with the county clerk’s office. No newspaper notice, no public announcement.

Judges keep discretion to require notification in limited cases. Someone convicted of a violent felony may need to notify the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services. Someone paying child or spousal support may need to notify the relevant court or child support office. Under no circumstances can a judge require you to report a name change to immigration authorities.

Sealing the Case for Safety

If making your name change public would put you in danger, you can ask the court to seal the entire proceeding. The judge evaluates safety based on the totality of the circumstances, which specifically includes the risk of violence or discrimination related to domestic violence or transgender status.⁷

The court cannot deny a sealing request just because you haven’t experienced specific past threats. The standard is forward-looking risk, not documented history. While the judge considers your petition, everything is automatically sealed to prevent accidental exposure. If the request is granted, records stay sealed permanently unless a court later orders them opened for good cause.⁷

If you’re in this situation, talk to a domestic violence counselor or attorney before filing. Mistakes in the sealing request can expose exactly the information you’re trying to protect.⁸

Changing a Child’s Name

The court process is the same, with extra requirements around parental consent. If there’s another living parent (biological or adoptive) or legal guardian, that person must agree in writing.⁹

If the other parent can’t be found, you’ll need to show the court what steps you took to locate them. If they object, you must formally notify them so they can present objections to the judge. If their parental rights have been terminated, you can skip the consent requirement and attach proof of the termination.⁹

The judge decides based on the child’s best interest, weighing what the child wants (accounting for age), how the change could affect the child’s relationship with each parent, how long the child has used the current name, and whether the current or proposed name causes embarrassment or harassment. Children 14 and older must personally consent by signing a Minor Consent form in front of a notary.⁹

Families can also seek a child’s name change through Family Court if it’s part of an existing proceeding and all parties consent.²

Getting Certified Copies

After the judge signs the order, get certified copies from the county clerk’s office. Every agency that updates your name will want one, and some require an original certified copy rather than a photocopy. Get several. In New York County, certified copies cost $8 plus $0.25 per page, payable by cash, certified check, credit card, or money order.¹⁰ Fees vary slightly by county.

Updating Your Records

The court order doesn’t change anything automatically. You contact each agency yourself, and the order matters.

Social Security First

Start with the Social Security Administration, because nearly every other agency will need SSA records to match your new name. Submit Form SS-5 with your certified court order and a valid ID. Documents must be originals or certified copies, not photocopies.¹¹ There’s no charge. Applying in person, expect the new card within 7 to 10 business days; by mail, 2 to 4 weeks.¹²

New York DMV

Once your Social Security card is updated, visit a DMV office in person with the certified court order and your current license. An amended driver’s license or permit costs $12.50. A non-driver ID card costs $5.¹³ If you hold a REAL ID-compliant license and your supporting documents don’t match, bring the court order as a linking document.

Taxes and Your Employer

You don’t file a separate form with the IRS, but the name and Social Security number on your tax return must match SSA records. If you haven’t updated your card yet, file under your old name to avoid processing delays and held refunds. If your employer issues a W-2 in your old name after you’ve updated SSA, ask for a corrected W-2c. Report all income on one return regardless of which name appears on the forms.¹⁴

Tell your employer promptly. Your employer should update the New Name fields in Supplement B of your Form I-9 and may ask for the court order as proof. Updating SSA first matters here too, since a mismatch can trigger an E-Verify flag if your employer uses that system.¹⁵

Passport

The State Department uses three different forms depending on when your passport was issued, when your name changed, and how old the passport is. Check which one applies to your situation before submitting.¹⁶

Voter Registration

Update your voter registration name online through the New York State Board of Elections portal or by submitting a voter registration form by mail or in person to your county board of elections.¹⁷ Do this well before any election.

Banks and Credit Bureaus

Banks and credit card companies typically accept a certified court order and a new government-issued ID. Contact each institution individually. Your credit history won’t automatically follow your new name; notify each of the three major credit bureaus separately, because updating one doesn’t update the others.

Selective Service

Males between 18 and 25 registered with Selective Service must report a legal name change by submitting a Change of Information Form with a copy of the court order. The obligation continues until you turn 26.

Mistakes That Slow Things Down

The petition is where most problems start. Forgetting notarization, omitting required disclosures about criminal history or support obligations, or arriving at the clerk’s office without proof of birth can all send you home. A judge won’t fill in the blanks for you.

Updating records out of order is the other common stumble. Social Security comes first because the DMV, IRS, and your employer all rely on SSA data matching. Update your license before your Social Security record and the mismatch can cascade into tax and employment verification problems that take months to untangle.

Get enough certified copies before you start making the rounds. Running out means another trip to the county clerk, another fee, and another delay while institutions sit in a queue waiting on paperwork.

1
NY CourtHelp. Marriage and Divorce – Name Change
2
New York State Senate. New York Civil Rights Law 60 – Petition for Change of Name
3
NY CourtHelp. Name Change Basics
4
New York City Civil Court. Court Fees in the New York City Civil Court
5
New York State Unified Court System. Fee Waiver Application
6
New York State Senate. NY State Senate Bill 2021-S4402B
7
New York State Senate. New York Civil Rights Law 64-A – Sealing Name Change Papers
8
New York State Unified Court System. Privacy and Name Change
9
NY CourtHelp. Child Name Changes
10
NYCOURTS.GOV. New York County Clerk – Certifications
11
Social Security Administration. Application for a Social Security Card (Form SS-5)
12
Social Security Administration. How Long Will It Take to Get a Social Security Card?
13
New York DMV. Change Information on DMV Photo Documents
14
Internal Revenue Service. Name Changes and Social Security Number Matching Issues
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Recording Changes of Name and Other Identity Information for Current Employees
16
U.S. Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
17
New York State Board of Elections. Voter Registration Process