How to Ask for a Name Change When You Are a Minor

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?.

Usually, both of your parents must agree to your name change, whether they are custodial or noncustodial. A “custodial parent” has sole or joint legal custody of you. To learn more about this, read the article Custody and Parenting Time.

If both your parents are your custodial parents:

They should both sign the petition under “Signature of Parent/Guardian for Minor.” If one of them can’t sign the petition, they can sign a Waiver/Consent form instead. The Waiver/Consent form is one of the forms you got from the Do-It-Yourself Name Change tool.

If one of your parents is a noncustodial parent:

The name change will be easier if they agree. To show they agree, they can either sign your petition under “Signature of Parent/Guardian for Minor” (this is the simplest option) or sign a Waiver/Consent Form. 

If your noncustodial parent does not agree to the name change, the judge may still approve it if that parent:

• (A) Had the ability to pay support, but did not provide you with substantial support for the last two years, AND had the ability to contact or visit you, but has not had substantial contact with you in the last two years; OR
• (B) Has been convicted of child abuse or a sexual assault crime and you or one of your siblings was the victim; OR
• (C) Has been convicted of first or second degree murder.

If (B) or (C) applies to you, you must attach a copy of the Judgment of Sentence to your petition when you file.

If one of your parents is dead:

Your other parent must sign your petition or the Waiver/Consent form. If both your parents are dead, your legal guardian must agree to your name change and sign the petition. You must submit letters of guardianship with your Petition for Name Change.

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. 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 learn more about fee waivers. You can also use the Do-It-Yourself Fee Waiver tool to complete the form.

If one of your parents did not sign the petition, and you know their address, send them a copy of the petition after you file it. If a court clerk tells you to make changes to your petition, make the changes, and make sure the copy you give your parents has those changes. 

Complete the Proof of Service form for the Petition for Name Change and file it with the court. This is one of the forms you got from the Do-It-Yourself Name Change tool. 

Make sure all your parents who consent have signed either the Petition (before it was filed with the court) or a Waiver/Consent form. If you haven’t already done so, file any Waiver/Consent form now.

NOTE: If your noncustodial parent’s address is unknown, you can skip this step. In a later step, there will be instructions for trying to notify them.

Some courts require you to call and schedule the hearing, while 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.

If one of your parents did not sign your petition send them a copy of the Notice of Hearing at least 14 days before the hearing. If you have a noncustodial parent, send them a copy of the Notice of Hearing even if they did sign your petition. (If your noncustodial parent’s address is unknown, you will notify them in Step 8 instead.) 

Complete the Proof of Service form for the Notice of Hearing and file it with the court. The Proof of Service form for the Notice of Hearing is one of the forms you got from the
Do-It-Yourself Name Change tool. 

Find the option that applies to you. Publishing notice under Option C is most common. 

Option A. Choose this option if:

• The judge granted your request not to publish notice of your name change; and
• You know your parents’ addresses.

You don’t have to publish anything. Continue to Step 9.

Option B. Choose this option if:

• The judge granted your request not to publish notice of your name change; but 
• You have a noncustodial parent whose address is unknown.

You have to publish a special notice just for your noncustodial parent. It won’t have your name, just your parents’ names. 

Use form PC 50c, called “Publication of Notice of Hearing Regarding Petition for Name Change (Noncustodial Parent).” This 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. Click on Courts & Agencies to get contact information for your circuit court. To learn more about the publication process, read the section below called “Basic Publication Information.”

Option C. Choose this option if:

• You never asked the judge for nonpublication; or
• The judge denied your request for nonpublication.

You must publish notice of the name change hearing in a local newspaper. This gives people the name change may affect a chance to object to it. If the judge ordered that you don’t have to publish notice, choose one of the options above instead.

Use form PC 50, called “Publication of Notice of Hearing Regarding Petition for Name Change.” This is one of the forms you got at the end of the Do-It-Yourself Name Change tool.  If you have a noncustodial parent with an unknown address, include their name on Form PC 50 under the line that starts “TO ALL PERSONS.” 

Different courts have different processes. Contact your circuit court to find out its publication requirements. Click on Courts & Agencies to get contact information for your circuit court. To learn more about the publication process, read the section below called “Basic Publication Information.”

Basic Publication Information (This section applies to Options B and C.)

Contact your circuit court to find out its publication requirements. Click on Courts & Agencies to get contact information for your circuit court. 

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.

On the day of the hearing, bring any documents related to your name change, including the Order Following Hearing Regarding Petition for Name Change. Also bring the Minor's Consent to Change Name form with you, because you must sign it at the hearing in front of the judge. The order and minor consent forms are some of the documents you got from the Do-It-Yourself Name Change tool.

It is always a good idea to have three copies of the documents. You may need to give one copy to the judge and one to someone who may object to the name change, like your noncustodial parent. You should always keep a copy of all documents related to your name change for your records.

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

If one of your parents did not sign the petition, and you know their address, send them a copy of the Order Following Hearing Regarding Petition for Name Change. 

Then complete the Proof of Service form for the order and file it with the court. The Proof of Service form for the Order Following Hearing Regarding Petition for Name Change is one of the forms you got from the Do-It-Yourself Name Change tool.

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.