Michigan Legal Help

How to Ask for a Name Change for Yourself as an Adult

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These are step-by-step instructions to help you ask a judge to change your name. It is best to read all the steps before starting. Keep a copy of everything you file for your records.

Step 1: Prepare your forms and find out how you will file

Fill out your forms using the Do-It-Yourself Name Change tool. Please note that completing the documents on Michigan Legal Help or Law Help Interactive does not file anything with the court.

Sign the Petition for Name Change as the Petitioner. (If you’re requesting not to publish notice of the hearing, the full name of the form will be “Petition for Name Change and Ex Parte Request for Nonpublication and Confidential Record.”)

Each court decides how it will accept documents for filing. Contact your court to find out which methods are available. Depending on your court, you may be able to file by: 

  • In-person filing
  • E-mail
  • E-Filing using MiFILE or the court's own e-filing program
  • Mailing or dropping off documents

You can find contact information for your court on the Courts & Agencies page of Michigan Legal Help.

MiFILE is only available for some courts. Even in courts where it is available, you can only use it for some case types. The State Court Administrative Office keeps a chart of courts that use e-Filing. To learn more, read What Is E-Filing?.

Step 2: File the petition and pay the fees

File the following completed forms at the circuit court in the county where you live:

  • Petition for Name Change (If you’re requesting not to publish notice, this will be called “Petition for Name Change and Ex Parte Request for Nonpublication and Confidential Record.”)
  • Addendum to Protected Personal Identifying Information form
  • Confidential Case Inventory form (if applicable)
  • Order Regarding Ex Parte Request for Nonpublication and Confidential Record (You only need this if you are requesting not to publish notice.)

Save the other forms to use later in the case, if needed. You may not need all of them. 

To learn more about filing methods that may be available, read Step 1. If you are e-Filing using MiFILE you will need to know the case-type code. The code for name change is NC.

You will have to pay the filing fee of $175.00 when you file the petition. If you cannot afford this, you may qualify for a fee waiver for the filing fees. Read the article Fee Waivers in Court Cases to get more information about fee waivers. You can also use the Do-It-Yourself Fee Waiver tool to complete the form.

Step 3: Get a criminal background check

If you are 22 years old or older, you must have a criminal background check done. You must get fingerprinted for the background check.

Some courts require you to send your fingerprints in on a Michigan Applicant Fingerprint paper card (RI-008). Other courts accept an electronic or "Live Scan" submission. Call the court where you are filing your Petition to find out which option the court will accept.

For Fingerprints Submitted on an RI-008 Card:

First, get fingerprinted at a local police agency. The cost to get fingerprinted will depend on the agency. Then mail your fingerprints, a copy of your Petition for Name Change, and check or money order for $43.25 (made out to the State of Michigan) to:

Michigan State Police
CJIC
P.O. Box 30266
Lansing, Michigan 48909

This fee amount and address were listed on the Michigan State Police Department website as of July 2023. It is a good idea to confirm the fee and address before sending your information and payment.

For Live Scan (Electronic Submission) Fingerprints:

The court should give you a Live Scan Fingerprint Background Check Request form and tell you what Live Scan vendor to use. 

The Live Scan vendor will collect the $43.25 processing fee and submit your fingerprints for processing. The Live Scan vendor may charge an additional fee for the fingerprinting. Contact the Live Scan vendor for their hours, fees, and any other information about the process.

Background Check Results:

For fingerprints on an RI-008 card, it usually takes three to five weeks to complete the background check. Live Scan fingerprints usually take about seven business days.

The state police will forward a second copy of your fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). The state police department will report its findings and any information it got from the FBI to the court. They will not send you a copy.

If you have no pending charges or criminal record, the state police will destroy its copy of your fingerprints.

Step 5: Schedule a hearing

Generally, after the court gets your background check results from the state police, a hearing will be scheduled. Some courts require you to call and schedule it. Other courts will schedule it for you and send you a Notice of Hearing. You can ask the court clerk about scheduling your hearing.

NOTE: if you requested not to publish notice of the name change:

The court probably won’t schedule the hearing until the judge decides whether to grant or deny your request not to publish. Check the judge’s orders carefully to see if they set a name change hearing. If no name change hearing was set, you can ask the court clerk about scheduling the hearing.
 

Step 6: Publish notice of the hearing

Skip this step if:
  • You requested not to publish the name change hearing; and
  • The judge granted your request not to publish.
For everyone else:
The Publication Process

Most notices of name change hearings must be published in a local newspaper. This gives people your name change may affect a chance to object to it. 

The Publication of Notice of Hearing Regarding Petition for Name Change form is one of the forms you got at the end of the Do-It-Yourself Name Change tool. 

Different courts have different processes. Contact your circuit court to find out its publication requirements. You can find contact information for your court on the Courts & Agencies page of Michigan Legal Help. 

Some courts work directly with the local Legal News for publication. These courts will send a copy of the Publication of Notice of Hearing form to the Legal News when you file the form. The Legal News will bill for the amount owed. After the fee is paid, the Legal News will mail you the original Affidavit of Publication for you to file with the court.

Other courts require you to contact a local newspaper to publish your notice. You may need to ask the newspaper to publish your notice right away. 

After the local newspaper publishes your name change notice, submit a copy of the published notice and Affidavit of Publication to the court. The newspaper must complete the Affidavit of Publication, not you. The Affidavit of Publication must list the qualifications of the newspaper and the date or dates the notice was published.

Most newspapers have a standard affidavit form they use. If the newspaper publishing your notice does not, you can use this standard Affidavit of Publication Form. 

The judge will not sign the order granting your name change without the published notice and the Affidavit of Publication.

The notice must be published before your name change hearing. Depending on the county you live in, the notice needs to be published between two and eight weeks before the hearing. Some courts require you to check with them three days before your hearing to make sure they got the publication information. 

Publication Fees and Fee Waivers

There is usually a fee for publishing notice of a name change. Some newspapers also charge a fee for the Affidavit of Publication. The prices depend on your county and the newspaper. 

If you get a fee waiver, the court must pay the publication and affidavit costs. Read Fee Waivers in Court Cases to learn more about fee waivers.

Step 7: Attend the hearing

On the day of your hearing, bring any documents related to your name change, including the Order Following Hearing Regarding Petition for Name Change. The order is one of the documents you got from the Do-It-Yourself Name Change tool. It is always a good idea to have two copies of the documents, so you can give one to the judge.

At the hearing, the judge will likely ask you questions about the information in your petition. The judge will also give anyone who objects to your name change a chance to talk about their reasons for objecting.

For more information about in-person court hearings, go to What to Expect When You Go to Court. If your hearing will be over video or phone, go to Remote Hearings.

If the judge approves the petition, the judge will complete and sign the order changing your name. There is a $10.00 fee to have the court enter the order. If you were granted a fee waiver, this fee will be waived.

If you want a certified copy of the order, it costs another $11.00. This may not be covered by a fee waiver. This may not be covered by a fee waiver. It is usually a good idea to get two certified copies.

Step 8: Contact any agency that has your old name

After a name change, other records that use your old name will not change automatically. Contact any agency or organization that normally deals with you under your old name to tell them about the change. For a list of agencies and organizations you may need to contact, read the article After Your Name Change.