Alaska Name Change Petition
In Alaska an adult files a name change petition in the Superior Court, and the court posts notice of the hearing on its legal notice website for four weeks instead of requiring newspaper publication. Attorney review available.
Introduction
A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally take a new name, and Alaska grants it without newspaper publication, posting notice of your hearing on the Alaska Court System legal notice website for four consecutive weeks instead. In Alaska you file the petition in the Superior Court for the State of Alaska, at the nearest court where you live (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010 and Alaska Civil Rule 84). Alaska does not make you publish your name change in a newspaper for a general adult change. Instead, the court automatically posts notice of your hearing on the Alaska Court System legal notice website once a week for four consecutive weeks before the hearing, and posts the notice of judgment for one week after the change is granted (Alaska Civil Rule 84). Newspaper publication is required only if the court specifically orders it. If this public posting raises personal-safety concerns, you can ask the judge to waive it by filing a Request to Waive Posting (form CIV-708). The judge grants the change if the court finds sufficient reasons for it and finds it consistent with the public interest, and the petition states that the change is not to avoid debts or obligations, hinder law enforcement, or defraud anyone (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010). A hearing is held and is usually short and informal. After the order is signed, you use certified copies to update Social Security, your Alaska driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. DocDraft builds your Alaska name change petition from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
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A name change petition lets an adult take a new legal name by court order; in Alaska the Superior Court, not a newspaper, gives notice by posting your hearing online once a week for four consecutive weeks before signing that order.
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You file the petition in the Superior Court for the State of Alaska, at the nearest court where you live. Alaska sets no fixed durational residency period; the statute and Civil Rule 84 do not require you to have lived in the state for a set time before filing (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010 and Alaska Civil Rule 84).
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Alaska does not require newspaper publication for a general adult name change. The court automatically posts notice of your hearing on the Alaska Court System legal notice website once a week for four consecutive weeks before the hearing; newspaper publication is required only if the court orders it (Alaska Civil Rule 84).
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If the public posting raises personal-safety concerns, you can ask the judge to waive it by filing a Request to Waive Posting (form CIV-708).
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The judge grants the change if the court finds sufficient reasons for it and finds it consistent with the public interest. The petition states the change is not to avoid judgments, debts, or obligations, hinder or obstruct law enforcement, or defraud anyone (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010).
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A hearing is held and is usually short and informal. After the change is granted, the court posts the notice of judgment on its legal notice website for one week (Alaska Civil Rule 84).
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After the order is signed, order certified copies from the clerk to update Social Security, your Alaska driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by Alaska Administrative Rule 9(b); confirm the current amount with the clerk, and a fee waiver is available if you cannot afford it.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Name Change Petition in Alaska, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Name Change Petition guide walks through them.
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Alaska Requirements for Name Change Petition
An adult name change in Alaska is filed in the Superior Court for the State of Alaska. By statute, a person may bring an action for change of name in the superior court, and the change may not be made unless the court finds sufficient reasons for the change and finds it consistent with the public interest (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010(a)). The Petition for Change of Name is form CIV-700.
File at the nearest court where you live. Alaska sets no fixed durational residency period for a name change; neither Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010 nor Alaska Civil Rule 84 requires you to have lived in the state or a judicial district for a set number of months before filing.
Alaska does not require newspaper publication for a general adult name change. The court automatically posts notice of the hearing on the Alaska Court System legal notice website once a week for four consecutive weeks before the hearing, and posts the notice of judgment for one week after the change is granted (Alaska Civil Rule 84). Newspaper publication once each week for four consecutive weeks is required only if the court specifically orders it.
The petition states your present legal name and the exact new name you want to take and be legally known by, along with your address (Alaska Court System form CIV-700). The court changes the name from the present name to the proposed name in its order.
The petition states the reasons for the requested change. The court may not grant the change unless it finds sufficient reasons for it and finds it consistent with the public interest (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010(a)).
The petition states that the name change is not to avoid judgments, debts, or obligations, is not intended to hinder or obstruct law enforcement, and would not defraud anyone or interfere with another person's rights (Alaska Court System form CIV-700). For a petitioner in custody, on probation or parole, required to register as a sex offender, or charged with an offense, the court may not grant the change unless it finds no fraudulent purpose, no intent to hinder law enforcement, and no interference with the rights of others (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010(b) and (c)).
An adult name change in Alaska includes a court hearing, which is usually short and fairly informal. At the hearing the judge grants the change if the court finds sufficient reasons for it and finds it consistent with the public interest. After the change is granted, the court posts the notice of judgment on its legal notice website for one week (Alaska Civil Rule 84).
After the order is signed, order certified copies from the clerk and use them to update Social Security, your Alaska driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. If the public posting raises personal-safety concerns, ask the judge to waive it by filing a Request to Waive Posting (form CIV-708). The filing fee is set by Alaska Administrative Rule 9(b); confirm the current amount with the clerk, and a fee waiver is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
A name change petition is the court document an adult files in Alaska to legally change their own name. You state your present legal name and the new name you want, give the reason, and confirm the change is not to avoid debts or obligations, hinder law enforcement, or defraud anyone. The court grants the change if it finds sufficient reasons and finds it consistent with the public interest, and after a short hearing a Superior Court judge signs an order that makes the new name your legal name (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010 and Alaska Civil Rule 84).
In Alaska you file a Petition for Change of Name (form CIV-700) in the Superior Court at the nearest court where you live, and pay the filing fee or request a fee waiver. The court posts notice of your hearing on the Alaska Court System legal notice website once a week for four consecutive weeks, so you usually do not have to publish in a newspaper (Alaska Civil Rule 84). A judge then holds a short hearing and, if the change is consistent with the public interest, signs the order. You use certified copies of that order to update your records.
Usually no. For a general adult name change, Alaska does not require newspaper publication. Instead, the court automatically posts notice of your hearing on the Alaska Court System legal notice website once a week for four consecutive weeks before the hearing (Alaska Civil Rule 84). Newspaper publication once each week for four consecutive weeks is required only if the judge specifically orders it. If the public posting raises personal-safety concerns, you can ask the judge to waive it by filing a Request to Waive Posting (form CIV-708).
An adult name change in Alaska is heard by the Superior Court for the State of Alaska. By statute, a person may bring an action for change of name in the superior court, and the change may not be made unless the court finds sufficient reasons for it and finds it consistent with the public interest (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010(a)). You file at the nearest court where you live using the Petition for Change of Name (form CIV-700).
Alaska does not set a fixed durational residency period for an adult name change. Neither Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010 nor Alaska Civil Rule 84 requires you to have lived in the state or a judicial district for a set number of months before filing; the court instructions direct you to file at the nearest court where you live. The court's focus is whether there are sufficient reasons for the change and whether it is consistent with the public interest.
Yes. An adult name change in Alaska includes a court hearing, which is usually short and fairly informal. Before the hearing, the court posts notice on the Alaska Court System legal notice website once a week for four consecutive weeks so anyone with an objection can be heard (Alaska Civil Rule 84). At the hearing the judge grants the change if the court finds sufficient reasons for it and finds it consistent with the public interest (Alaska Statutes Section 09.55.010).
Yes. If the public posting of your name change raises personal-safety concerns, you can ask the judge to waive the posting requirement by filing a Request to Waive Posting (form CIV-708) with your petition. This is the Alaska safety option in place of the automatic posting on the Alaska Court System legal notice website. The judge decides whether to grant the waiver; if granted, notice of your name change is not posted publicly.
Once the Alaska Superior Court judge signs the order changing your name, order several certified copies from the court clerk. Use them to update your Social Security record first, then your Alaska driver license or ID, your passport, and then banks, employers, and other accounts. The court also posts the notice of judgment on its legal notice website for one week (Alaska Civil Rule 84). Keep at least one certified copy for your records; the certified order is what proves your new legal name.