How to Change Your Legal Name Online
There are reasons for wanting to legally change your name, from getting married or divorced to disliking your name to making it difficult for people to locate you. There are a multitude of law firms and legal organizations that operate online and allow a person to change his name legally using online forms and services. Paperwork needs to be filed within your state of residence, and these online services do most of the paperwork and filing on your behalf.
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Instructions
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You will need your home address, date of birth, Social Security number and a valid state-issued ID, and then log on to a legal name-change website (see Resources section). Additional restrictions and requirements can be determined by contacting your nearest county courthouse government office because requirements and restrictions vary from state to state.
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Visit a legal site or law firm online that specializes in legal name changes (see Resources section). Browse the website to check for fees and the site reputation before signing up to have your name changed. You can gauge a site's reputation by checking with the Better Business Bureau (see Resources section), browsing the website for user feedback and checking the website to see if forms are up-to-date and match the requirements needed by your local county courthouse. Another good way to determine a site's reputation is to check its content and see if it is affiliated with a law firm.
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Fill out the requested information on the website that you choose to handle your legal name change paperwork. You may have to pay a fee for using these websites. The website will file the paperwork on your behalf and contact you when the name change is complete, if it needs additional information or if the request has been denied.
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Tips & Warnings
Choose your new name carefully. Some name choices will be denied by the state government because of lewdness, association with another well-known person or other restrictions.
Never provide false information to a name-change websites. These websites must file for you with the state government, and providing false information to the government is against the law. Verify that you have permission and custody when trying to initiate a name change for a minor. Laws vary from state to state regarding a minor's name change.
