How to Fill Out the Virginia Name Change Form (CC-1411)

The Virginia name change form CC-1411 is a two-page application that an adult uses to ask a circuit court to legally change their name. You download it from the Virginia Judicial System website or pick it up at any circuit court clerk’s office, fill in your identity information, your parents’ names, your reason, and answers to several legal-history questions, sign it in front of a notary or clerk, and file it with the circuit court in the city or county where you live. Filing costs roughly $35 to $41, and a judge usually rules on the paperwork within two to four weeks without a hearing.¹

Where to Get the Form

The official fillable PDF is on the Virginia Judicial System website, along with a separate instruction sheet that walks through each field.² Paper copies are available at any circuit court clerk’s office in the Commonwealth. The current version was last revised in February 2023.

How to Fill Out Each Section

The form asks for three categories of information: who you are, who your parents are, and whether you have any legal history that matters to the court. Work through it in order and use your identification documents as the reference for spelling.

Your Personal Information

At the top, check whether you are filing in a city or county court, then enter your present legal name exactly as it appears on your current ID. There are separate spaces for first, middle, last, and suffix. Below that, complete these fields:²

Birth name, including any middle name and suffix.
City or county of residence. This determines which court has authority over your application.
Residence address. A P.O. box does not count.
Mailing address, only if it differs from your residence address.
Date of birth and place of birth. Match your birth certificate; the court will cross-reference it.

Your Parents’ Names

Fields 6a and 6b ask for the full legal names of both parents, with spaces for first, middle, maiden (if applicable), current last name, and suffix. Virginia law specifically requires your mother’s maiden name, so complete that field even if she later changed her name through marriage.³

Your Reason for the Change

Field 7 asks why you want to change your name. Space on the form is limited, and a checkbox lets you attach a supplemental sheet if you need more room. Straightforward reasons are accepted: personal preference, gender identity, religious reasons, returning to a prior surname. If you have a felony conviction or are on probation, treat this field as important rather than routine, because the judge will read your explanation closely.

Legal History Questions

Page two contains yes-or-no questions required by Virginia Code § 8.01-217:³

Question 8: Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If yes, provide details.
Question 9: Are you currently in a correctional facility? If yes, list the facility and the courts where you were convicted.
Question 10: Are you currently a probationer with any court? If yes, identify which court.
Question 11: Are you required to register under Virginia’s Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry? If yes, identify the court where the triggering conviction occurred.
Question 12: Have you changed your name before, by court order or marriage? If yes, attach the court order or marriage certificate and list all former names.

At the bottom of page two, write your current full name and the new name you want, exactly as you want the order to read. The judge’s order copies these fields verbatim, so a typo here becomes a typo on your legal name.

If You Have a Felony Conviction, Are on Probation, or Are on the Registry

Answering “yes” to questions 8 through 11 changes the process. The court will not accept your application unless the judge first finds that good cause exists to consider it, so you must attach documentation explaining why the name change is justified.¹

If the court accepts the application, the clerk sends a copy to the local Commonwealth’s Attorney and a hearing is scheduled. At the hearing, the judge considers whether the change would frustrate a legitimate law-enforcement purpose, whether it is sought for a fraudulent reason, and whether it would infringe on anyone else’s rights.³ A concrete explanation, such as a change tied to gender identity, a return to a birth name, or distancing from a traumatic association, carries more weight than a vague one.

Signing and Notarizing

Virginia law requires the application to be made under oath, which means you sign it in the physical presence of a notary public or a circuit court clerk. Do not sign it at home first.⁴ The notary or clerk fills in the date, checks the appropriate box (Clerk, Deputy Clerk, or Notary Public), and completes the acknowledgment. An outside notary also records their commission expiration date and registration number.

Many circuit court clerk’s offices will notarize the form when you come in to file, which saves a separate trip. Call ahead to confirm your local office does this.

Where to File and What It Costs

File the completed, notarized application with the circuit court clerk in the city or county where you live.³ Hand-delivering during business hours lets the clerk flag obvious errors on the spot. Some clerk’s offices also accept filings by mail.

Expect the total filing fee to run about $35 to $41 depending on your jurisdiction. The base statutory fee is $20 under Virginia Code § 17.1-275(A)(24), and Virginia layers several mandatory add-ons on top, including a technology trust fund fee, a legal aid services fee, and local law library and courthouse maintenance charges.⁵ Call your clerk’s office to confirm the exact amount and accepted payment methods.

If you cannot afford the fee, file Form CC-1421 (Petition for Proceeding in Civil Case Without Payment of Fees or Costs) along with your application.⁶ You generally qualify if you receive TANF, Medicaid, SNAP, or Supplemental Security Income, are represented by a legal aid attorney, or your monthly expenses exceed your income. The fee-waiver form must be filed on paper with a signature; it cannot be submitted online.⁷

What Happens After You File

For most applicants without felony convictions or registry requirements, the judge reviews the paperwork without a hearing and decides whether the name change is sought for a fraudulent purpose or would infringe on someone else’s rights.³ Processing typically takes two to four weeks. Busy urban courts can run longer.

If approved, the judge signs Form CC-1412, the Order for Change of Name.⁸ The clerk records the order, indexes it under both your old and new names, and transmits a certified copy with your application to the State Registrar of Vital Records, who will amend any Virginia vital records to reflect the new name.⁹

Request at least five certified copies of the order when you pick it up. Nearly every agency that updates your name, starting with the Social Security Administration and the DMV, requires an original or a certified copy rather than a photocopy. Certified copies run about $2.50 each in most jurisdictions.

Local Variations Worth Checking Before You File

Virginia has no statewide fingerprinting or background-check requirement for name changes, but a handful of jurisdictions, including York County, the City of Williamsburg, and Charles City County, require applicants to submit a criminal history check from the Virginia State Police with the application. Some courts also want a civil action cover sheet or a self-addressed stamped envelope for mailing your certified copies back. None of that is printed on the form, so call your clerk’s office before you file and ask exactly what they expect.

1
Virginia Judicial System. Application for Change of Name (Adult)
2
Virginia Judicial System. Virginia Code 8.01-217 – Application for Change of Name (Adult)
3
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 8.01-217 – How Name of Person May Be Changed
4
Loudoun County, VA – Official Website. Name Changes
5
Virginia Judicial System. Circuit Court Fee Schedule (Appendix C)
6
Virginia Judicial System. Petition for Proceeding in Civil Case Without Payment of Fees or Costs
7
Virginia Judicial System Court Self-Help. Filing Fees and Waivers
8
Madison County Virginia. Order for Change of Name (Adult)
9
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 32.1-269 – Amending Vital Records; Change of Name; Acknowledgment of Paternity