How to Legally Change a Minor's Name in Florida
The procedures for court processes involving minors usually vary somewhat from those involving adults. Name changes are no exception. In Florida, the legal name change of a minor is handled primarily by Family Court. Name changes may be requested due to a number of factors, including remarriage of the custodial parent and desire to change the child’s surname so that it matches theirs. If you want to change the name of a minor due to an adoption or paternity suit, you need to change the name as part of that case; otherwise, you will need to follow the steps outlined below.
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Instructions
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Obtain the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.982(c) “Petitioner for Change of Name [Minor Child(ren)].” This form may be obtained from your local courthouse, either in person or via their website.
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Fill out the entire form using black ink or by typing in the fields of the electronic form.
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Have yourself (and the child’s other parent if they are willing to consent to the name change) fingerprinted by a law enforcement agency. Make a copy of the fingerprints and attach it to the form.
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Sign the completed form in front of a notary public or deputy clerk. If the minor’s other parent is willing to consent to the name change and lives in the same county, they should be at the signing and sign the form as well.
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Make a copy of the form. Keep this for your records.
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File the original document with the clerk of the circuit court in your county of residence.
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Notify the minor’s other parent if they live in a different county and ask them to file the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.982(d) “Consent for Change of Name [Minor Child(ren)].” This form may be obtained from your local courthouse, either in person or online.
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Notify the minor’s other parent of the petition and subsequent hearing that will be held if they are not willing to consent to the name change.
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Set a final hearing date with the court. The steps you must take to do this vary from county to county, so you will need to ask a local court official to outline the procedures you must follow in your county of residence.
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Complete the top portion of the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.983(e) “Final Judgment of Change of Name [Minor Child(ren)].“ The top portion of the form refers to all of the fields above the centered bold title “FINAL JUDGMENT OF CHANGE OF NAME [MINOR CHILD(REN)].” Do not fill out any of the fields below this title, as they must be completed by the judge. A PDF version of this form can be found on the Florida State Courts’ website. This form may also be obtained from your local courthouse.
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Attend the hearing and bring the partially completed Form 12.983 (e) “Final Judgment of Change of Name [Minor Child(ren)]” with you. Give this to the judge.
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Ask the judge to grant your petition and sign the order. If the judge signs the order, the minor’s name will have been officially changed.
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