How to Change Your Legal Name in Pennsylvania
Every now and then you can experience life circumstances that result in the desire to change your legal name. Those reasons can include marriage or divorce, religious conversion, or career-related reasons. Each state has its own specific set of laws and guidelines that must be followed in order to legally change one's name. Pennsylvania guidelines are somewhat strict, due to the fact that the state wants to ensure you don't change your name to escape financial responsibilities, such as taxes and judgements.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Complete a Pennsylvania "Petition for Legal Name Change" form. You must be at least 18 years old to submit a petition. On the petition you will have to include your name as it appears on your birth certificate, your address, and a statement disclosing your reason for requesting a name change, for example marriage, divorce, etc.
-
2
Submit the petition to the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas at your local county courthouse, along with the processing fee of about $40. The court will take your fingerprints. Afterward, the court will submit your petition and your fingerprints to the state police to see whether you have a criminal record. It can take the state police up to 60 days to respond to the court.
-
-
3
A hearing will then be scheduled to hear your petition. The court will notify you of the hearing date in advance. The court will make a public announcement of your request for name change in a local newspaper. If anyone objects to your name change, such as creditors, they are free to attend your hearing and object to the name change. If the safety of the individual requesting a name change is at risk, then a waiver can be requested to avoid the public announcement.
-
4
Wait to receive your name change decree from the court system before using your new name.
-
5
Notify all appropriate agencies of your name change, such as the Social Security department, your state's DMV, Passport office, the IRS and other taxing agencies, and the Department of Vital Records. If you are a convicted felon, the courts will automatically notify the Attorney General and Pennsylvania State Police of your name change so their database will reflect your new name.
-
1
