What is a name change petition in Florida?

It is the sworn, verified court paper an adult files in Florida to take a new legal name. You give your current name and the name you want, swear you are a bona fide resident of and domiciled in the county, supply the background the statute lists, and state the change carries no ulterior or illegal purpose. After a fingerprint-based records check and, in most cases, a brief hearing, a circuit judge signs a final judgment adopting the new name (Florida Statutes Section 68.07).

How do I legally change my name in Florida?

File a verified Petition for Change of Name in the circuit court for the county where you live, pay the clerk's filing fee or ask for an indigency waiver, and get fingerprinted for a state and national criminal history records check before the hearing unless you are only restoring a former name (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)(a)). Once the clerk holds your results the judge may hear the case (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(4)), and after the final judgment is signed you use certified copies to correct your records.

Do I have to publish my name change in a newspaper in Florida?

No. Florida asks for no newspaper notice from an adult who is renaming themselves; Section 68.07 imposes no publication step on the adult petitioner. The single publication clause in the statute is constructive notice to a nonresident other parent when one parent seeks to rename a minor child (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(8)), which has nothing to do with an adult self name change. Florida instead relies on the fingerprint records check the clerk forwards to the court.

Which court handles an adult name change in Florida?

The circuit court. Section 68.07(1) places this power in the chancery courts, and because Florida folds chancery, or equity, jurisdiction into its circuit courts, that is where you file, in the county where you reside (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(1)). Filing outside your county of residence can stall the case, so use the county where you actually live.

Is there a residency requirement to change my name in Florida?

Yes, in the sense of genuine residence. The verified petition must show you are a bona fide resident of and domiciled in the county where you seek the change (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(3)(a)). Florida fixes no minimum number of months in the state or county before you file; what matters is that you truly live in and are domiciled in the county named in the petition.

Do I need a fingerprint background check to change my name in Florida?

In almost every case, yes. An adult petitioner must be fingerprinted for a state and national criminal history records check before the hearing, the one exception being a petition that only restores a former name (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)(a)). The clerk explains how to submit the prints, the results are returned to the court, and you cover the cost (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)(c)). The hearing follows once the clerk holds those results.

Can a Florida court deny a name change or is it automatic?

It is never automatic; a judge grants it. Your verified petition must swear the request is for no ulterior or illegal purpose and will not invade anyone's property rights (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(3)(k)), and the court weighs the criminal history records-check results in deciding whether to grant it (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)(a)). A lawful, complete, good-faith petition is what a Florida judge looks for.

What do I do after a Florida court grants my name change?

Once the circuit judge signs the final judgment, ask the clerk for certified copies. If you were born in Florida the clerk reports the judgment to the Office of Vital Statistics; if you were born elsewhere the clerk hands you a certified copy of the judgment (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(5)). Use those copies to fix Social Security first, then your Florida driver license or ID and other accounts, and keep one certified copy safe.

Florida Name Change Petition

In Florida an adult files a name change petition in the circuit court of the county where they live, and before the hearing must submit fingerprints for a state and national criminal history records check. Newspaper publication is not required. Attorney review available.

Introduction

One thing sets a Florida adult name change apart from most states: before your hearing you must be fingerprinted and clear a state and national criminal history records check, and the clerk sends the results to the court (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)(a)). The petition itself is the sworn, verified paper an adult files to take a new legal name, which becomes yours the moment a circuit judge signs the final judgment. You bring the case in the circuit court, which exercises the chancery jurisdiction the statute assigns, in the county where you actually live (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(1)). Your verified petition must swear that you are a bona fide resident of and domiciled in that county (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(3)(a)), that you seek the new name for no ulterior or illegal purpose, and that granting it will not invade anyone's property rights (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(3)(k)). Unlike many states, Florida asks for no newspaper notice when an adult renames themselves. Once the clerk holds your records-check results, the judge may hear the matter promptly and enter the final judgment (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(4)); certified copies then let you correct Social Security, your Florida license, and other records. DocDraft assembles your Florida petition from your answers, with attorney review available before you file.

0/5000

Key Things to Know

1
The petition is the sworn, verified paper an adult files to take a new legal name; the new name takes effect when a circuit judge signs the final judgment.
2
Florida's signature step: before the hearing you are fingerprinted for a state and national criminal history records check, unless you are only restoring a former name, and you cover that cost (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)(a) and Section 68.07(2)(c)).
3
The case belongs in the circuit court, which exercises the chancery jurisdiction the statute assigns, filed in the county where you live (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(1)).
4
No newspaper notice is asked of an adult renaming themselves. The statute's lone publication clause is constructive notice to a nonresident other parent in a minor child's case (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(8)).
5
Your verified petition swears you are a bona fide resident of and domiciled in the filing county and that the change carries no ulterior or illegal purpose and will not invade anyone's property rights (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(3)(a) and Section 68.07(3)(k)).
6
The judge may hear an adult petition as soon as the clerk holds the records-check results and then enter a final judgment; a petition only to restore a former name can be heard right after filing (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(4)).
7
Your verified petition also lists statutory disclosures such as prior names, occupation and employment for the past 5 years, bankruptcies, arrests, sexual-predator or offender status, and money judgments. After the final judgment, certified copies update Social Security and your Florida license; the clerk of the circuit court sets the filing fee, and an indigency waiver is available if you cannot afford it.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Name Change Petition in Florida, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Name Change Petition guide walks through them.

Open the Name Change Petition guide

Customize your Name Change Petition Template with DocDraft

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE [JUDICIAL CIRCUIT] JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR [COUNTY] COUNTY, FLORIDA

In re the Change of Name of [CURRENT LEGAL NAME], Petitioner.

Case No. ______________

PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME (ADULT) (Florida Statutes Section 68.07)

Petitioner, being duly sworn, states:

Petitioner. Petitioner's present legal name is [CURRENT LEGAL NAME]. Petitioner is over 18 years of age. Petitioner was born on [DATE OF BIRTH] in [PLACE OF BIRTH].
Residence and venue. Petitioner is a bona fide resident of and domiciled in [COUNTY] County, Florida, and resides at [STREET ADDRESS], [CITY], Florida. This petition is filed in the circuit court for the county where petitioner resides, as required by Florida Statutes Section 68.07.
Present and proposed name. Petitioner asks the Court to change petitioner's name from [CURRENT LEGAL NAME] to [REQUESTED NEW NAME].
Reason. The reason for the requested change is [REASON, for example to use a name petitioner has long gone by, following a divorce, or to align petitioner's legal name with petitioner's identity].
Background disclosures. Petitioner has been known by the following other names: [OTHER NAMES OR NONE]. Petitioner's occupation and employment for the preceding 5 years are [OCCUPATION AND EMPLOYER]. Petitioner [HAS or HAS NOT] previously changed petitioner's name. Petitioner [HAS or HAS NOT] been adjudicated bankrupt. Petitioner [HAS or HAS NOT] been arrested for or charged with a criminal offense. Petitioner [IS or IS NOT] required to register as a sexual predator or sexual offender. There [ARE or ARE NO] money judgments against petitioner.
No ulterior or illegal purpose. This petition is filed in good faith and for no ulterior or illegal purpose, and granting it will not in any manner invade the property rights of others, whether partnership, patent, good will, privacy, trademark, or otherwise. Petitioner's civil rights have never been suspended, or, if suspended, full restoration of civil rights has occurred.
Fingerprints and criminal history records check. Petitioner understands that, unless a former name is being restored, petitioner must submit fingerprints for a state and national criminal history records check before the hearing, that the results will be sent to the clerk of the court for the Court to consider, and that petitioner bears the cost (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)).
Hearing. Petitioner understands the hearing on this petition may be held after the clerk receives the results of the criminal history records check (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(4)).

WHEREFORE, petitioner asks the Court to enter a final judgment changing petitioner's name from [CURRENT LEGAL NAME] to [REQUESTED NEW NAME], and for any further relief the Court finds proper.

Dated: [DATE]

[CURRENT LEGAL NAME], Petitioner

VERIFICATION

Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have read the foregoing petition and that the facts stated in it are true.

Dated: [DATE]

[CURRENT LEGAL NAME], Petitioner

Note: This Florida adult petition tracks Florida Statutes Section 68.07. Florida routes the case to the circuit court for the county where you live, makes fingerprinting and a state and national criminal history records check a pre-hearing step, and asks for no newspaper notice when an adult renames themselves. The Florida Courts adult form is 12.982(a), and the final judgment is entered on Form 12.982(b); check the current forms and the clerk's filing fee before you file. For the generic template and the other states, see the Name Change Petition hub.

Florida Requirements for Name Change Petition

Circuit Court in Your County of Residence
A Florida adult name change is brought in the circuit court for the county where the petitioner lives. Section 68.07(1) vests this authority in the chancery courts, and Florida exercises that chancery jurisdiction through its circuit courts, on the petition of the person filed in the county in which he or she resides (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(1)).
Bona Fide Residence and Domicile
The verified petition must swear the petitioner is a bona fide resident of and domiciled in the county where the change is sought (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(3)(a)). Florida imposes no fixed durational residency window; the test is genuine residence and domicile in the filing county, not time spent there.
No Newspaper Publication for an Adult Change
No newspaper notice is asked of an adult renaming themselves in Florida. Section 68.07 places no publication duty on the adult petitioner. Its only publication clause is constructive notice to a nonresident other parent when one parent moves to rename a minor child (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(8)).
Fingerprints and Criminal History Records Check
Before the hearing the adult petitioner is fingerprinted for a state and national criminal history records check, the sole exception being a petition to restore a former name (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)(a)). The clerk directs how the prints are taken, the results return to the court, and the petitioner pays the cost (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)(c)).
Present Name and Proposed New Name
The verified petition gives your current legal name and the exact new name sought, together with the statutory disclosures: birth details, other names used, occupation and employment for the preceding 5 years, bankruptcy and arrest history, sexual-predator or offender registration status, and any money judgments (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(3)). The final judgment is what actually changes the name.
No Ulterior or Illegal Purpose
The petition must swear it is filed for no ulterior or illegal purpose and that granting it will not invade the property rights of others (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(3)(k)). The court also weighs the records-check results before deciding (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(2)(a)); the new name comes from the judge's final judgment, not by default.
Hearing After the Records-Check Results
An adult petition may be heard as soon as the clerk receives the criminal history records-check results (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(4)). A petition that only restores a former name may instead be heard right after it is filed.
Final Judgment and Certified Copies
After the final judgment is entered, obtain certified copies from the clerk. If you were born in Florida the clerk reports the judgment to the Office of Vital Statistics; if you were born in another state the clerk gives you a certified copy (Florida Statutes Section 68.07(5)). Use the copies to update Social Security and your Florida driver license or ID. The clerk of the circuit court sets the filing fee, and an indigency waiver is available.

Introduction

Key Things to Know

Key decisions before you file

Customize your Name Change Petition Template with DocDraft

Florida Requirements for Name Change Petition

Circuit Court in Your County of Residence

Bona Fide Residence and Domicile

No Newspaper Publication for an Adult Change

Fingerprints and Criminal History Records Check

Present Name and Proposed New Name

No Ulterior or Illegal Purpose

Hearing After the Records-Check Results

Final Judgment and Certified Copies

Frequently Asked Questions