What is a name change petition in Illinois?

It is the court filing an adult uses to obtain a new legal name. You give your current name and the one you want, confirm you live in the county of filing and will meet the three-month residency by the hearing or order, state your reason, and swear the request is not meant to defraud anyone or dodge the law. When the court is satisfied and enters its order, the requested name becomes yours (Section 21-101 and following of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure).

How do I legally change my name in Illinois?

You file a petition for change of name in the Circuit Court for the county of residence, on the statewide standardized form the Illinois Supreme Court approved, and either pay the filing fee or ask for a waiver (Section 21-101 and 21-102). Since March 1, 2025 there is no newspaper publication step, because that section was repealed. The judge enters an order granting the change, and certified copies then let you update your records.

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

No. That requirement is gone. Public Act 103-1063 repealed the old publication section, 735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-103, effective March 1, 2025, so a petitioner no longer prints notice in any paper. Ending it matters most for people once exposed by going public, including survivors of violence and those aligning their name with their gender identity. Separately, criminal-history records filed in the case are sealed from disclosure outside the proceeding (Section 21-102).

Which court handles an adult name change in Illinois?

The Circuit Court. The statute directs a resident who wants a new name to file where he or she resides (Section 21-101 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure). Choosing the wrong county can stall things, so file where you actually live.

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

Yes, and it is short. You must have lived in the state for three months as of the hearing or the entry of the order granting the change (Section 21-101); Public Act 103-1063 cut this from the earlier six months. Venue still follows residence, so the petition goes to the Circuit Court for your current county.

Do I need a court hearing to change my name in Illinois?

The statute speaks of a hearing, with the court granting the change at or after it (Section 21-101). When someone who must be notified lives outside the state, that notice has to reach them at least 10 days beforehand (Section 21-104 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure). Whether and how you appear depends on your Circuit Court's local rules, so check with the clerk.

Can a criminal record stop an Illinois name change, and is there a gender identity exception?

Sometimes, and yes. A person who must register under the Sex Offender Registration Act, the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act, or the Arsonist Registration Act, and is not pardoned, generally cannot petition while registration lasts, and someone with an uncompleted felony sentence cannot unless pardoned (Section 21-101). The carve-out: a person in that first group may still proceed when the change is for marriage, religious beliefs, trafficking-victim status, or gender-related identity as defined by the Illinois Human Rights Act.

What do I do after an Illinois court grants my name change?

After the judge signs the order, request several certified copies from the clerk. Start with your Social Security record, move to the Secretary of State for your driver license or ID and then your passport, and finish with banks, employers, and other accounts. Each agency runs its own update, but the certified order is the proof of your new name, so keep at least one copy.

Illinois Name Change Petition

Illinois dropped newspaper publication from adult name changes on March 1, 2025. You file in the Circuit Court for your county on the Supreme Court form. Attorney review available.

Introduction

Illinois rewrote its adult name-change law on March 1, 2025, and the headline is what the process dropped: newspaper publication. Public Act 103-1063 repealed the old publication section, 735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-103, so a person asking a court for a new name no longer prints any notice in a paper. To begin, an adult files a petition for change of name in the Circuit Court for the county of residence, on the statewide standardized form the Illinois Supreme Court approved (Section 21-101 and Section 21-102 of the Code of Civil Procedure). The residency test is short and tied to timing rather than the filing date: three months of in-state residence measured at the hearing or when the judge enters the order. Sensitive filings are handled unusually, too. Criminal-history records placed in the case are sealed from view outside the proceeding (Section 21-102), and someone normally blocked by a registrable conviction can still ask for a new name when the reason is marriage, religious beliefs, being a trafficking victim, or gender-related identity as the Illinois Human Rights Act defines it. A party living outside the state must get notice at least 10 days ahead of any hearing (Section 21-104). Once the judge signs the order, certified copies carry the new legal name to Social Security, the Secretary of State for your driver license, and every other record. DocDraft assembles your petition from the facts you provide, with attorney review available before you file.

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Key Things to Know

1
The headline is a repeal: since March 1, 2025 under Public Act 103-1063, no adult petitioner publishes notice in a paper, because the former section 735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-103 is gone.
2
You bring the case in the Circuit Court for the county of residence, on the statewide standardized form the Illinois Supreme Court approved (Section 21-101 and Section 21-102 of the Code of Civil Procedure).
3
Residency is measured at the finish line, not the start: three months of in-state residence as of the hearing or the entry of the order granting the change (Section 21-101).
4
Sensitive records stay private. Criminal-history material filed in the matter is sealed from disclosure outside the proceeding on your petition (Section 21-102).
5
The conviction bar carries real exceptions. Someone required to register under the Sex Offender, Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth, or Arsonist statutes, or serving an uncompleted felony sentence, usually cannot petition, yet may proceed when the reason is marriage, religious beliefs, trafficking-victim status, or gender-related identity under the Illinois Human Rights Act, or once pardoned (Section 21-101).
6
A party living outside the state who must be told about the case gets that notice at least 10 days ahead of any hearing (Section 21-104).
7
There is no do-it-yourself common law route: changes adopted on or after July 1, 2010 outside marriage or a legal proceeding are invalid (Section 21-105), so the petition is the path. Afterward, certified copies from the clerk update Social Security, the Secretary of State for your license, and your passport; the court sets the filing fee and a waiver is available.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Name Change Petition in Illinois, 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

CIRCUIT COURT OF THE [JUDICIAL CIRCUIT] JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, [COUNTY] COUNTY, ILLINOIS

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

Case No. ______________

PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME (735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-101 and 5/21-102)

Petitioner respectfully alleges:

Petitioner. Petitioner's present legal name is [CURRENT LEGAL NAME]. Petitioner resides at [STREET ADDRESS], [CITY], [COUNTY] County, Illinois, and is over 18 years of age.
Residence and venue. This petition is filed in the Circuit Court of the county where petitioner resides, as required by Section 21-101 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure. Petitioner has resided in Illinois and will have resided in Illinois for 3 months at the time of the name change hearing or entry of the order granting the change.
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 gender-related identity].
Good faith. This petition is made in good faith. The change is not sought to defraud any creditor, to evade any legal obligation, judgment, or criminal record, or for any fraudulent or other unlawful purpose.
Eligibility. Petitioner is not currently required to register under the Sex Offender Registration Act, the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act, or the Arsonist Registration Act, and does not have an uncompleted felony sentence. [If any such status applies, petitioner states under oath the qualifying basis, that is, marriage, religious beliefs, status as a victim of trafficking, or gender-related identity as defined by the Illinois Human Rights Act, or a pardon, as Section 21-101 requires.]
Publication. Illinois no longer requires newspaper publication of a name change. The former publication section, 735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-103, was repealed effective March 1, 2025, so petitioner is not required to publish notice of this change in any newspaper.
Records. Any criminal-history records filed in this matter shall be sealed from disclosure outside of the court proceedings on this petition, as provided by Section 21-102 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure.

WHEREFORE, petitioner asks the Court to enter an order 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 as provided by law under Section 1-109 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, the undersigned certifies that the statements in this petition are true and correct.

Dated: [DATE]

[CURRENT LEGAL NAME], Petitioner

Note: This Illinois adult name-change petition tracks 735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-101 and following. Illinois fixes the venue (the Circuit Court for the county where you live), a 3-month residency measured at the hearing or entry of the order, and a statewide Supreme Court form, and it ended newspaper publication under Public Act 103-1063 on March 1, 2025. Verify the current form and the county filing fee with your Circuit Court clerk. For the base template and other states, see the Name Change Petition hub.

Illinois Requirements for Name Change Petition

Circuit Court in Your County of Residence
Venue is the Circuit Court for the county of residence. The statute lets a resident who wants a new name file a petition for that relief in the circuit court of the county wherein he or she resides (Section 21-101 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, 735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-101).
Residency and Venue
Residency is measured at the end, not the start: you need three months in the state as of the hearing or the entry of the order granting the change (735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-101). Public Act 103-1063 cut this from six months, effective March 1, 2025. The case stays in the Circuit Court for the county where you live.
No Newspaper Publication Required
Publication is off the table. Public Act 103-1063 repealed the former publication section, 735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-103, effective March 1, 2025, so no petitioner prints notice of the change in any newspaper. Ending it removes the public exposure the old rule created for survivors of violence and for people aligning their name with their gender identity.
Present Name and Proposed New Name
On the statewide standardized form the Illinois Supreme Court approved, set out your present legal name, the exact name you are requesting, your residence, how long you have lived in the state, and your nativity (Section 21-102 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure). The court then enters an order carrying you from the present name to the requested one.
Reason for the Change
Give the reason for the request, whether it is a name you have long used, a return after divorce, or aligning your legal name with your gender-related identity. Because common law changes adopted on or after July 1, 2010 are invalid (735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-105), the court petition is the only lawful route for an adult resident.
Good Faith and Eligibility
Swear the change is sought in good faith and not to defraud a creditor, dodge a legal obligation, judgment, or criminal record, or for any unlawful end. A person who must register under the sex-offender, murderer-and-violent-offender-against-youth, or arsonist statutes, and is not pardoned, generally cannot petition, and a person with an uncompleted felony sentence cannot unless pardoned; the first group may still proceed when the change is for marriage, religious beliefs, trafficking-victim status, or gender-related identity as defined by the Illinois Human Rights Act (735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-101).
Statewide Form, Hearing, and Sealed Records
The statute contemplates a hearing, with the order granting the change entered at or after it; a party outside the state must be given notice at least 10 days beforehand (735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/21-104). Any criminal-history records placed in the file are sealed from disclosure outside the proceeding on the petition (Section 21-102 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure).
Certified Copies and the Filing Fee
Once the order is entered, get certified copies from the clerk and take them to Social Security, the Secretary of State for your driver license or ID, the passport agency, and your other records. The filing fee is set by the court, varies by county, and a waiver is available if you cannot afford it. Confirm the current form and fee with your Circuit Court clerk.

Introduction

Key Things to Know

Key decisions before you file

Customize your Name Change Petition Template with DocDraft

Illinois Requirements for Name Change Petition

Circuit Court in Your County of Residence

Residency and Venue

No Newspaper Publication Required

Present Name and Proposed New Name

Reason for the Change

Good Faith and Eligibility

Statewide Form, Hearing, and Sealed Records

Certified Copies and the Filing Fee

Frequently Asked Questions