How to Legally Change Your Name in Oregon: Forms, Filing, and Updates

To legally change your name in Oregon, you file a short petition with the circuit court in the county where you live, pay a $124 filing fee, and wait for a judge to sign the judgment. Oregon does not require newspaper publication, and most counties decide adult petitions on paper without a hearing. Once the judge signs, you use certified copies of the judgment to update your Social Security record, driver’s license, passport, and everything else tied to your legal name.

The Forms You File

Oregon uses one packet for adult name changes, published by the Oregon Judicial Department. Two documents matter: the Petition for Change of Name and the General Judgment of Change of Name. You complete both, but you leave the judge’s signature line on the General Judgment blank.¹

The petition asks for your current legal name, your proposed new name, your date of birth, and your contact information. You sign it under penalty of perjury. That signature carries the same weight as testimony given under oath, so treat the form accordingly.

Disclosures the Court Requires

The petition has a “Public Interest” section with checkboxes. You must disclose if:

You owe child support arrears or are currently ordered to pay child support.
A protective order, stalking order, or restraining order is in effect against you.
You are on probation, parole, or post-prison supervision.
You are required to register as a sex offender.

Checking a box does not automatically defeat your petition. The judge reads your explanation and decides whether the change is consistent with the public interest. Hiding something that applies to you is a much bigger problem than disclosing it, and can lead to denial or perjury exposure.¹

Where to File and What It Costs

You file in the circuit court of the county where you live.² Most courts accept the packet in person or by mail. The clerk assigns a case number, and the case is officially open.

The filing fee is $124 as of 2026.³ If you cannot afford it, Oregon offers deferral and waiver for low-income filers under federal poverty guidelines; you submit a separate Fee Deferral or Waiver Application and Declaration with your petition.

Unlike many states, Oregon does not require you to publish notice of your name change in a newspaper. That saves money and keeps the change more private.

How the Judge Decides

Many Oregon counties treat adult name changes as a paper review. The judge reads the petition, looks at your disclosures, and signs the General Judgment without a hearing. Some counties do schedule a brief hearing, particularly when a disclosure raises a public-interest question. If you are called in, the appearance is short: the judge confirms your identity and asks about your reasons.⁴

By statute, the judge must grant the change unless it is “not consistent with the public interest.”² That is a low bar for anyone who has disclosed truthfully and has no fraudulent purpose. Once the judgment is signed and entered in the Register of Actions, the court mails you a Notice of Entry of Judgment. Your new name is legally effective as of entry.

Order Certified Copies Right Away

Ask the clerk for several certified copies of the signed General Judgment. Every agency that updates your records will want to see one, and the court’s official seal is what makes the copy accepted as proof. Fees vary by county but are modest. Four or five copies lets you work on several updates in parallel instead of waiting for one agency to return the document before you can start the next.

Sealing the Record

Oregon lets the court seal a name change file in specific situations. If you participate in the Address Confidentiality Program under ORS 192.826, you can ask for sealing when you file. The court must also seal the record if you are requesting a change of legal sex and ask for sealing.⁵ A sealed file is not accessible to the public, which matters for domestic violence survivors and others with safety concerns. If you qualify, check the sealing box on both the Petition and the General Judgment.

Update Social Security First

Start with the Social Security Administration. Almost every other agency verifies your name against SSA records, and updates elsewhere can stall if SSA still shows your old name.

Complete Form SS-5 and take it to your local SSA office with your certified court order and a current identity document such as a driver’s license or passport. SSA requires originals or custodian-certified documents; photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.⁶ Your Social Security number does not change. A new card arrives by mail.

If your name change happened more than two years ago (four years if you are under 18), SSA will also want an identity document in your prior name so they can locate your original record. An expired document in your old name is acceptable for that purpose.⁶

Update Your Oregon Driver’s License or ID

After SSA has processed the change, visit an Oregon DMV office. Walk-ins are accepted at all locations, and you can also schedule an appointment through the DMV’s online portal. Bring your certified court order, proof of identity, and proof of address.⁷

One catch on REAL ID. If you want a REAL ID-compliant credential, the name on the card must match SSA’s records, and the DMV verifies that electronically. Wait until SSA has finished updating before you go. For a standard, non-REAL ID card, the DMV can work with a name that differs from SSA’s records as long as you show proof of the change. A replacement card fee applies.⁷

Passport

How you update a U.S. passport depends on timing:

If both your passport was issued and your name was legally changed within the past year, submit Form DS-5504 by mail with your current passport, the certified court order, and a new photo. No fee, unless you request expedited service ($60).
If more than a year has passed since either the passport was issued or the name change occurred, renew by mail using Form DS-82, or apply in person on Form DS-11 if you are not eligible for mail renewal. Standard passport fees apply.

Include your original or certified court order. The State Department returns it after processing.⁸

Taxes

The IRS has no separate name change form. Your name updates automatically when you file your next federal return with the new name and your Social Security number, provided SSA has already been updated. The rule that matters: the name on the return must match the name on your Social Security card. A mismatch can cause the IRS to reject an e-filed return or delay a refund.⁹

If SSA has not yet processed your update by the time you file, use your former name on the return. A return under your old name with a matching SSN is far better than a mismatched one.

Other Records to Update

A legal name change reaches further than most people expect. Work through these once your court order and Social Security card are in hand.

Credit Bureaus

Contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately. Each bureau operates independently, and each has its own online correction or dispute process. Attach a copy of your court order. If you skip a bureau, your history under the old and new names can end up as two separate files, which causes problems on loan and housing applications.

Voter Registration

Update your voter registration through your county elections office. Oregon accepts online and mail updates in most counties. Do this well ahead of any election.

Selective Service

If you are registered with the Selective Service System, you are required to report your legal name change. Submit the update with a copy of your court order.¹⁰ There is no set deadline, but a stale registration can cause trouble later with federal student aid, federal employment, and citizenship applications.

TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

Contact your enrollment provider to update your name. Until that update posts, your membership will not work at checkpoints, since TSA matches your ID against your enrollment record. Name changes can take up to 45 days.¹¹

Professional Licenses

If you hold an Oregon professional license or certification, contact the licensing board with your court order and license number. Practicing under a name that does not match your license creates compliance problems, so take care of this early.

Everything Else

Round out the process with your employer (for payroll and withholding), banks and credit card issuers, insurance carriers, your landlord or mortgage servicer, utilities, and any memberships or subscriptions tied to your legal name. Most will accept a certified copy of the court order; some will accept your updated driver’s license. Having several certified copies in hand lets you handle these in parallel.

1
Oregon Judicial Department. Adult Name-Sex Change Packet – Instructions and Forms
2
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 33.410 – Jurisdiction; Grounds
3
Oregon Judicial Department. 2026 Circuit Court Fee Schedule
4
Oregon Judicial Department. Name Change and/or Sex Change
5
Oregon Judicial Department. Identity Change (Name or Sex) – Oregon Judicial Department
6
Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card
7
Oregon Department of Transportation. Changing Your Name
8
U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport
9
Internal Revenue Service. Name Changes and Social Security Number Matching Issues
10
Selective Service System. Frequently Asked Questions
11
Transportation Security Administration. TSA PreCheck FAQ