I’ve had a lot of folks asking about how I went through the name change process. I figured I could write a summary of my experience for others to reference or in case it helps comfort some of the anxiety that these types of things can cause. Generally, my experience was very positive, and most of the people I interacted with were very kind. This was especially true in my interactions with the judge who granted my name change request.
A couple things you should know before you get started:
- Filing the name change does cost a $297 filing fee. This can be waived given you meet certain criteria. I did not follow this process, so you may need to read up on it yourself here: https://www.mncourts.gov/Help-Topics/Fee-Waiver-IFP.aspx
- Certified Copies of your Order Granting Name Change are required to update most places. These cost $14 per, but you can likely get away with 1 copy.
- I did not go through the MN birth certificate gender marker change because I was born out of state. If you end up doing this and would like to contribute to this guide please let me know!
- You must pay for a criminal background check which costs $15
If you've got questions, or something is unclear, i'm happy to take feedback, or suggestions via github issue using this link: https://github.com/jhop310/MN-Name-Change/issues/new. Alternatively, you can reach out to me directly and i'll try to help as best i can. Additionally if you would like to contribute on aspects i did not go through (birth certificate updates, fee waiver, etc.) please feel free to reach out or open a pull request!
Occasionally Tea Time at the Aliveness project hosts name change clinics, to look for those, visit their site: https://aliveness.org/tea-time-at-aliveness-project/
While i am still actively updating my name with different services, banks, etc. I will try to keep this document upto date so that people get a sense of how long the process takes.
- June 1st 2024: eFiled documents
- June 3rd 2024: Case Accepted (notified via email)
- June 5th 2024: BCA Background Check Visit
- June 12th 2024: Email request for court scheduling
- June 20th 2024: Hearing date set with Judge's clerk for August 7th 2024
- August 7th 2024: Hearing completed via Zoom meeting
- August 14th 2024: Social Security Appointment
- August 20th 2024: Received new Social Security Card in mail
- August 30th 2024: Drivers License Renewal Appointment
To download the forms needed go to this link: https://www.mncourts.gov/GetForms.aspx?c=27 Note the first form NAM101 is the instructions for filing. If you aren't sure about something review this document, as it covers the high level instructions
Depending on your comfortability with PDFs, and your computer this may or may not be tricky. You can always print, fill out by hand, and scan or mail the forms in, but if you are like me typing is easier than writing. For form filling on mac i use the default Preview app, which includes the ability to add text. On Windows i use NitroPDF free, but it's a very old version, so ymmv.
This document is the Application for Name Change and Other Relief. This covers what you want to change, as well as relevant parties (ie: spouse, children, etc.), property, and a few other things.
This document is the Criminal History Check Release. This form is included in the eFile filing, but ends up not really being used. Instead you end up going into the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to receive a criminal background check document.
This document is the Proposed Order Granting Name Change. This form ends up being the form signed by the judge, and after being signed is what you receive as one or many certified copies for use in changing your name with the Social Security, DMV, etc. For this doc only fill out the portions above the IT IS ORDEREDsection. This is documented on page 2 of NAM 101 the instructions document.
Once you've filed all of the forms proceed to Submitting via eFile
I find eFile to be the easiest way to submit your documents, but mail, or in-person filing is also an option. Given my experience is in eFile i'm only going to document that here. If you go through one of the other methods and would like to contribute please let me know!
Navigate to the MN eFile site here: https://minnesota.tylertech.cloud/ofsweb. While the website doesn't look like what you expect, you can also navigate there from the mnCourt file a case site here: https://www.mncourts.gov/File-a-Case.aspx
- Use the
Registerbutton to create an account - Login with your new account and select
Start a new Case
- Choose the county you are filing in (if in Hennepin county where there are multiple options, choose
Hennepin Civil) - Choose Category
Civil - Choose Caste Type
Change of Name
- Check box
I am Party - Fill in your contact information
- Save
In this section you will file each of your filled forms from the form section
- Filing Code: Application for Name Change
- Filing Description: Name Change Request Documents
- Client Reference Number: (This is your own personal identifier, in my case i used my last name, but it can be anything)
- Comments to Court: Public or Confidential, either way should be fine
- Courtesy Copies: (I put my email here, so that i would get confirmation the documents were received as expected)
- Upload NAM 102
- Select the
Add Optional service and fees - Add the
Civil Filing Feeof $297 - Additionally, you can add
certified copieswhich will avoid having to submit at a later time. These copies will be mailed to you after the completion of your hearing. I recommend getting two copies for peace of mind
- Filinging Code: Consent to Criminal Background Check
- Filing Description: Criminal Background Check Consent
- Client Reference Number: (This is your own personal identifier, in my case i used my last name, but it can be anything)
- Comments to Court: Public or Confidential, either way should be fine
- Courtesy Copies: (I put my email here, so that i would get confirmation the documents were received as expected)
- Upload NAM 103
- Filinging Code: Proposed Order or Document
- Filing Description: Proposed Order Granting Name Change
- Client Reference Number: (This is your own personal identifier, in my case i used my last name, but it can be anything)
- Comments to Court: Public or Confidential, either way should be fine
- Courtesy Copies: (I put my email here, so that i would get confirmation the documents were received as expected)
- Upload NAM 107
Here is where you put in information to pay the filing fee and if you chose to purchase certified copies
At this point you can save your case as a draft, and come back to submit when you are ready, or proceed to Summary to submit your case.
Once you have submitted proceed to After eFiling
Following the submission of your efile, you will get an email accepting your case. This email will include a link to a document which details the next steps. This document is very legalese, and kind of sucks, so i'll summarize what it is asking you (or the attorney representing you) to do:
- Complete the criminal history background check (see Background Check)
- Schedule your hearing (see Scheduling your hearing)
I found this easiest to complete in person, but mail is also an option. Essentially you go to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul, and request a background check. For me, because i've only liven in Minnesota as an adult (I assumed college town where i never established permanent residency didn't count) this was very simple. If you've lived in other states it may be more complicated, but the people at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension seemed to know how to request additional state background checks. For more on this part, see the excerpt from my case acceptance letter:
The background check may take approximately two weeks to process by mail, or it can be done in person the same day. You must include your (or your minor child’s) birth name, married name(s), and all other names you have ever been known by with the exact spelling. If you fail to provide the BCA with a complete list of your past names (correctly spelled), the hearing may need to be continued or rescheduled. If you have lived in other states as an adult, the Federal BCA background check will have to be completed in addition to the Minnesota background check. However, if you have resided in only one other state, you may request the background check from that state in addition to the Minnesota BCA check.
The BCA is open 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (closed on holidays). You may contact the BCA at 651-793-2400 or visit https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/Pages/criminal-history-search.aspx for more information.
If you have ever been convicted of a felony-level offense, you must notify the prosecuting
authority of your application to change your name. The prosecutor’s office(s) will have 30 days to file an objection. If a prosecutor’s office files an objection to your requested name change, you may then file a motion requesting the court grant your name change over the objection. If you file such a motion,
you must notify the prosecutor’s office(s) of the date and time of the hearing.
Once you've complete this step, head to Scheduling your hearing
For this process, simply check the top of the Case acceptance document, where the contact information for the judge assigned to your case is located. I sent the email below to the email contact provided:
Hello,
My name is `insert name` and I'm reaching out to inquire about Case # `insert case number`. I've gathered the required background check document, and would like to begin the process to schedule a hearing. Please let me know if there are any additional actions required in order to proceed.
Thanks!
`insert name`
From here a judge's clerk will email you back to schedule a hearing. In my case it was roughly 1.5 months from this email being sent to the court date.
After the court date is set, the judge's clerk requested a copy of my birth certificate, and my background check, these were provided via email.
My hearing was over zoom, and took approximately 30 minutes. You are required to have two witnesses join the zoom call, and they must have cameras on. They will be asked to testify that you are not lying.
The judge asks you a few questions about whether or not you are trying to hide from debts, avoid criminal charges, etc. After that they ask you to summarize why you are changing your name. Once your turn is over, the judge asks each of your witnesses to testify that you have been truthful. After this the judge reviewed some of the activities you must complete following your name change, and i've tried to enumerate as many of those as i can in the section Activies to Complete After Hearing.
🏳️⚧️CONGRATULATIONS you've officially changed your name!!!🏳️⚧️ 🎊🎊🥂🥂
If you requested certified copies as a part of your original filing described in filing nam103 you likely do not need to request any more copies, and they will arrive in the mail a few days after your hearing. If you did not, there are many ways to request certified copies. You can request them via an eFile case, or in person. The form for requesting them will be provided after your hearing by the judge's clerk, or can be found here: https://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/fourth_district/documents/forms/Copy-Request-Form-7-23.pdf
Following your hearing completion there are a few items that are time sensitive:
- Social Security
- Drivers License
The judge i had told me it is important to ensure your drivers license renewal with name change is important to complete within 30 days. This can be tricky because the social security office requires two weeks to mail you a new social security card. I recommend calling to schedule an appointment with the social security office because i've heard horror stories of the lines that can occur, especially towards the end of summer when lots of people getting married are going to change last names.
Once you get your social security card updated you can go to the DMV and update your license. If you already have an Enhanced or REAL id, you can renew with only your id and name change document. If you are looking to move to an Enhanced or REAL id make sure you review the requirements, as it requires many documents.
Additional places to update:
- Bank Accounts
- Employers
- Insurance (Auto, Home, Renters, etc.)
- Mortgage, Auto, or other lenders
- Passport
- Property Title Company
- Utility Companies (Gas, Electric, Internet, Cellular, etc.)
- Vehicle Title
If you are like me, and indecisive, you realize halfway through the process after you filed your docs, that actually you want to tweak your name. If thats the case, you can do that, and i had no issue tweaking it as close as one week to the hearing. To do this you simply update NAM102 and NAM107 with the the name update you want, retitle the document AMENDED_NAM10x.PDF and eFile them into the existing case. After you complete this you will get an email confirming their acceptance. I also confirmed with the court clerk who scheduled my hearing that they were accepted.
- Court system name change overview docs: https://www.mncourts.gov/Help-Topics/Name-Change.aspx
- Certified Document Request Form: https://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/fourth_district/documents/forms/Copy-Request-Form-7-23.pdf
- eFile: https://minnesota.tylertech.cloud/ofsweb
- Filing Waiver: https://www.mncourts.gov/Help-Topics/Fee-Waiver-IFP.aspx
- Fill out NAM102, NAM103, NAM107 from here: https://www.mncourts.gov/GetForms.aspx?c=27