How to Legally Change a Name in Idaho
As a resident of Idaho, you may petition the court to legally change your name or the names of any minor children you have. You may wish to change a name for professional reasons or personal reasons, or to change the last name of a child. A name change is allowed for any reason as long as you are not attempting to avoid creditors and are not required to be registered as a sex offender.
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Things You'll Need
- Filing fee
- Names and addresses of your parents or two living relatives
- Name of a newspaper in the county where you live
- Noncustodial parent's information if filing for a minor
Instructions
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Prepare a petition for name change. A petition form can be found on the Idaho Supreme Court Self-Help Center website (see Resources). If you are requesting name changes for minors, they may all be on the same petition if they all have the same mother and father. If they do not, you will need to prepare separate petitions for each child.
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File the petition with the court in the county where you live. Pay the required filing fee.
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Publish the petition in a local newspaper for four consecutive weeks. This is the notification method used to make sure that anyone with an objection has a chance to be heard at the hearing. File an affidavit with the court after the petition has been published attesting to its publication.
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Attend the hearing set by the court in front of a judge. Answer any questions the judge may have. If the judge is satisfied that you are not attempting to avoid debts and are not required to register as a sex offender, and no one has objected or the judge finds your reasons more compelling than any objections, the judge will grant your name change.
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