How to Verify a Name Change in Maryland
An order approving a name change is a complicated and detailed process that is rarely completed before 90 days. The process for verifying approval of a name change is slightly different in each state. In Maryland, after filing a Petition for Change of Name form and publicizing the name change in the local newspaper, approval of the name change order can be verified either via telephone or via the Internet.
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Instructions
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Verifying Name Change
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Apply for a name change. Both minor and adult name changes require filing a Petition for Change of Name form with the circuit court in the county where you live. Forms can be accessed online at the Maryland Judiciary website, or by calling the Clerk's Office of the Circuit Court.
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Publish your changed name. Once the petition for a name change has been filed, you will receive a bill from the Frederick News-Post to have the name change publicized. You will need to pay the fee and have the name change published in the newspaper before the order will be approved by the state.
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Wait. The average time for an order granting a name change to be processed and approved from start to finish is 60 to 90 days.
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Verify name change via telephone. The Maryland Civil Department can be called to look up name change information and verify that a name change has been finalized. You will need to provide a case number or full name. Each county has a separate circuit court and civil department. Use the state's circuit court directory to locate the correct telephone number (see Resources).
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Verify name change via Internet. Once an order granting a name change has been approved, notice will be posted on the Maryland Judiciary website at courts.state.md.us. Case records can be searched using either the case number or full name. At the top left corner of the site under "For Citizens", select the link "Search Court Records." You will be directed to the court records search page, where you follow the link "Case Search" in the box labeled "Case Records." Read the terms, conditions and limitations provided and then click the box acknowledging that you understand and agree to them. Click "continue" which will take you to a Search Criteria page. Enter either the full name at the top or the case number further down the page and then hit enter. Any records associated with that name will appear, and if the name change has been approved, notification will appear here.
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References
Resources
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