To legally change your name in Maine, you file a petition in the Probate Court for the county where you live, pay a $75 filing fee, and use the signed order to update your records. Maine does not require newspaper publication before approval. If your name is changing because of a marriage or a divorce, you skip the court petition entirely and rely on your marriage certificate or divorce decree as proof.
Which Route Applies to You
Maine recognizes three paths, and picking the right one saves time.
- Marriage: adopt your spouse’s surname or a hyphenated combination without a court petition. Your marriage certificate is your proof.
- Divorce: a divorce decree can restore a prior surname if the court includes the restoration in the final order. The decree is your proof.
- Court petition: everything else, including personal preference, gender affirmation, and correcting errors, goes through the Probate Court.
The rest of this guide covers the court petition, since that’s where the steps and requirements sit.
Filing the Petition
File in the Probate Court for your county of residence.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 18-C – Process to Change Name Two forms drive the process: the CN-1 Petition for Change of Name (Adult) and the AF-103 Affidavit by Adult Seeking to Have Name Changed. Both are free to download from the Maine Judicial Branch website or pick up at your local Probate Court clerk’s office.
The CN-1 asks for your current legal name, the name you want, your date and place of birth, current address, and reason for the change. You also disclose any prior name changes and affirm that you’re not trying to defraud anyone or dodge creditors. The AF-103 has to be signed in front of a notary, who verifies your identity before you sign. Banks, shipping stores, and law offices typically offer notary services for a small fee.
Bring a valid photo ID and a certified copy of your birth certificate when you file. The court is required to run a criminal history record check on every adult petitioner, and it may also order a motor vehicle record check or a credit check. The court can require you to pay the cost of each background check it orders.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 18-C – Process to Change Name
Filing Fee and Fee Waiver
The filing fee is $75.2Washington County Maine. Probate Fees Certified copies of the order cost $5 each, and it’s worth ordering at least two or three because several agencies will want to see an original or certified copy.
If you can’t afford the fee, Maine Rule 91 lets you apply to proceed without payment. You submit an affidavit listing your monthly income and expenses, confirm you have no other way to pay, and state that you’re filing in good faith. If your income comes from a public assistance program, the court presumes you qualify.3State of Maine Judicial Branch. Rule 91 – Proceedings for Waiver of Payment of Fees or Costs
What Happens After You File
You can submit your petition and supporting documents in person or by mail. Maine does not require public notice or newspaper publication before approving an adult name change.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 18-C – Process to Change Name
Before approving the petition, the court will tell you two things. First, the name change order will be public unless you request confidentiality. Second, an abstract of the order will be sent to the State Bureau of Identification unless you request otherwise.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 18-C – Process to Change Name A hearing may be scheduled, but many uncontested adult petitions are approved without one. Once the judge signs the order, ask the clerk for your certified copies right away.
Confidentiality
You have two separate privacy requests available on the CN-1, so no extra filing is needed. You can ask the court to make the name change order itself confidential, and you can ask the court not to transmit the abstract to the State Bureau of Identification.
For a confidential order, you must show that your personal interest in privacy outweighs the public interest in the record. Safety-based reasons, such as domestic violence or stalking, carry the strongest weight. The court has broad discretion. Confidentiality is not available if you are currently on probation, on parole, on supervised release as a sex offender, or required to register as a sex offender.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 18-C – Process to Change Name
Reasons a Petition Can Be Denied
A court will deny the petition if the judge has reason to believe you’re seeking the change to defraud someone or for purposes contrary to the public interest. There is also a rebuttable presumption that the change is contrary to the public interest if you are currently on probation, on parole, on supervised release as a sex offender, or required to register as a sex offender.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 18-C – Process to Change Name “Rebuttable presumption” means the court starts from the position that your petition should be denied, and you have to present evidence to overcome that starting point. In practice, it’s a high bar.
Changing a Minor’s Name
A parent or legal guardian can petition to change a child’s name in the Probate Court where the child lives. A parent can also request the name change as part of a divorce, parentage, or other parental rights proceeding in District Court, without a separate petition, if they show good cause.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 18-C – Process to Change Name
The petitioning parent must give notice to any other parent, any guardian, any agency with legal custody, and the child’s guardian ad litem if one is appointed. If the child is 14 or older, the child must also receive notice.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 18-C – Process to Change Name The court can restrict notice when a parent with sole parental rights and responsibilities shows by a preponderance of the evidence that the child is a victim of abuse, or that the child or petitioner is in reasonable fear for their safety.
If everyone agrees, the court can approve the change without further analysis. When the parties disagree, the court decides based on the child’s best interests, considering the child’s own preference (especially for a child 14 or older), how the child is already known in the community, consistency with siblings’ names, any harassment or embarrassment tied to the current or proposed name, and the effect on the child’s relationship with each parent.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 18-C – Process to Change Name One boundary: a name change for a minor cannot be ordered through a protection from abuse order.
Updating Your Records After the Order
The court order makes the new name legal, but no agency updates its files on its own. Work through them in order, because later agencies will want to see that earlier ones have already been updated.
Social Security
Start with Social Security. Complete Form SS-5 and submit it with your certified court order and proof of identity, such as your current driver’s license or passport. If you haven’t already established U.S. citizenship with the SSA, bring proof of that too.4Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need To Get a Social Security Card Everything must be an original or a copy certified by the issuing agency; the SSA won’t accept photocopies or notarized copies. A new or replacement card is free.
Driver’s License or State ID
Maine law requires you to notify the Secretary of State within 30 days of a name change.5Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s License and ID Card Online Renewal and Replacement Service – Frequently Asked Questions You have to appear in person at a BMV office with your court order and your current license or ID; the update cannot be done online or by phone.6Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Maine Driver’s License and ID Card Renewal The replacement fee is $5.
Birth Certificate
To amend a Maine birth certificate, submit a completed application to the Division of Data, Research, and Vital Statistics along with your court order and two pieces of supporting documentation. Your signature must be witnessed by a notary or municipal clerk. You can mail everything with a self-addressed stamped envelope and payment by check or money order.7Maine DHHS. Amend, Correct, or Complete Vital Records Processing takes roughly four to six weeks.
Everything Else
After Social Security and the BMV, work through the rest of your records. The U.S. State Department handles passport updates. Banks, credit cards, employers, health insurance, schools, and voter registration all need separate notice. Keep a running checklist so you don’t miss subscriptions, professional licenses, and utility accounts still carrying your old name.