To change your name in San Antonio, you file a verified petition under Chapter 45 of the Texas Family Code with a Bexar County district court, submit fingerprints for a background check, pay a $350 filing fee, and attend a short hearing before a judge. The whole process usually takes several weeks, most of it spent waiting on the Texas Department of Public Safety to clear your prints. If your name change is tied to a marriage or divorce, you may not need a petition at all.
If You’re Changing Your Name Because of Marriage or Divorce
Start here, because this route skips court entirely for many people. If you just married and want to take your spouse’s last name, hyphenate the two, or shift your maiden name into the middle slot, Texas lets you update your driver’s license and other records using your marriage license alone.1Texas State Law Library. Name Change After Marriage Anything more creative — merging both surnames into a new word, changing your first name, adopting a wholly different last name — still needs the full petition process.
Divorce has its own shortcut. Texas law requires the court to restore a former name in the divorce decree if you ask, and the judge can only refuse for a stated reason.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 6.706 – Change of Name The court cannot deny the restoration just to keep family surnames aligned. Once the decree includes the restoration, you can buy a $10 name change certificate from the court clerk and use it to update your identification.3State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 45.106 – Change of Name Certificate No separate petition, no fingerprints.
Who Can File a Petition
Any adult can petition a Bexar County district court, and you don’t need a specific reason. The judge weighs whether the change is in your interest and the public’s interest.4Texas State Law Library. Name Changes in Texas The court will deny a petition meant to evade creditors or criminal prosecution. You must be at least 18 to file for yourself.
Felony convictions add conditions. You must wait at least two years after finishing your sentence, probation, or parole, unless you’ve been pardoned or you’re only asking to be recognized under the primary name already in your criminal history. Registered sex offenders have to notify the appropriate local law enforcement authority of the proposed name change and then file proof of that notification with the court.5State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 45.103 – Order
What Goes in the Petition
The petition is verified, meaning you sign it under oath. Section 45.102 of the Family Code requires your current legal name, the new name you want, and your reason.6State of Texas. Texas Code FAM 45.102 – Requirements of Petition You also have to disclose whether you’ve been convicted of a felony and whether you’re subject to sex offender registration.
Beyond that, expect to list your date of birth, sex, race, Social Security number, and every driver’s license number you’ve held in the last ten years. Any offense above a Class C misdemeanor has to be disclosed with case numbers and the courts involved. If some of that information is genuinely unavailable, you can substitute a reasonable explanation, but thin disclosures invite delay.
Blank petition forms and a guided packet for self-represented filers are available on TexasLawHelp. Fill in every field, and list every alias and former name. Omissions here are the most common reason hearings get pushed back.
Fingerprints and the DPS Background Check
Every adult petition in Texas must include a complete, legible set of fingerprints on the FBI’s FD-258 card.7Texas State Law Library. Adults – Name Changes in Texas DPS uses them to run both a state and federal background check before the court will set your hearing.
Get printed at an IdentoGO enrollment center or a local law enforcement agency. Mail the card to DPS with a $27 payment ($15 state, $12 FBI) and a copy of your filed petition.8Texas Department of Public Safety. Submission of Fingerprint Cards to DPS/FBI for Adult Legal Name Change Payment must be a cashier’s check, certified check, personal check, or money order made out to “Texas DPS.” No cash, no credit cards. Paper cards take several days to process, so send yours in as soon as the petition is filed.
Filing With the Bexar County District Clerk
File the petition with the Bexar County District Clerk. The main office sits in the Paul Elizondo Tower at 101 W. Nueva, Suite 217, in downtown San Antonio.9Bexar County, TX. Administration You can also file electronically through eFileTexas.gov, which accepts self-represented filers.10eFileTexas.Gov. Official E-Filing System for Texas
The filing fee is $350.11Bexar County, TX. Fee Schedule If you can’t afford it, file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145. You sign it under penalty of perjury, and the court or another party can challenge your claim. Once your filing is accepted, you’ll receive a cause number and a court assignment.
The Court Hearing
After DPS clears the background check, you contact the court coordinator to schedule a short prove-up hearing. Bring a completed Order Granting Change of Name of an Adult with you — the court usually will not draft it for you.
You’ll testify briefly under oath. The judge confirms your identity, your reason for the change, and that you aren’t trying to defraud anyone or dodge legal obligations. If everything lines up, the judge signs the order at the hearing. Most hearings run under ten minutes.
A name change does not erase debts, contracts, or legal obligations tied to your former name. They follow you.12State of Texas. Texas Code FAM 45.104 – Order
Updating Your Records
The signed order doesn’t update anything on its own. Buy several certified copies from the District Clerk before you leave the courthouse, because each agency wants its own. A Section 45.106 name change certificate is a $10 one-page proof of the new name and works for most updates.3State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 45.106 – Change of Name Certificate
Texas Driver’s License or ID
Visit any Texas DPS driver license office within 30 days of the court order. Bring the original certified court order (DPS won’t accept a photocopy) and apply for a replacement license or ID at the standard replacement fee.13Texas Department of Public Safety. How to Change Information on Your Driver License or ID Card
Social Security Card
Updating your Social Security record is free and doesn’t count against the SSA’s lifetime cap on replacement cards.14Social Security Administration. Change Name with Social Security Some situations qualify for an online request; otherwise, schedule an appointment at your local SSA office. The new card arrives in five to ten business days. Do this one early. Most banks and other agencies want to see a Social Security card in your new name before they’ll change their records.
U.S. Passport
Passport paperwork depends on timing. If your current passport was issued less than a year ago and the name change also happened within that year, submit Form DS-5504 at no cost, or $60 for expedited processing.15U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport If more than a year has passed since either event, you’ll renew by mail with Form DS-82 or apply in person with Form DS-11, both at standard renewal fees.