What is a name change petition in Indiana?

It is the verified court filing an Indiana adult submits to trade a present legal name for a chosen one. In it you give the name you now hold, state the one you want, confirm you live in the filing county, explain your reason, and hand over the required disclosures, including earlier names, evidence of United States citizenship, and any felony record. After the newspaper notice runs and a hearing occurs, the court signs an order and decree adopting your chosen name (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-1 and following).

How do I legally change my name in Indiana?

Bring a verified change-of-name petition before the circuit, superior, or probate court for the county you live in, cover the court's filing charge or ask for a waiver, and run notice in a local newspaper across three weekly insertions with the final one at least thirty days ahead of the hearing (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-2 and Section 34-28-2-3). Once the published notice is proven by affidavit, the judge hears the matter and enters the order and decree it considers just and reasonable (Section 34-28-2-4). Certified copies of that decree then update your records.

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

Yes. Indiana makes you run notice of the request three separate weeks in a newspaper of general circulation for the county where the case sits, and the final weekly insertion cannot appear later than thirty days before the hearing date (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-3). Where the county has no such newspaper, the notice runs instead in the paper published nearest to it in an adjoining county. Written proof that the notice ran is lodged with the court ahead of the hearing.

Which court handles an adult name change in Indiana?

The county's circuit, superior, or probate court, picked by where the applicant lives. Indiana law empowers those courts to change the names of natural persons on a petition (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-1), and directs the filing to the court for the county in which the person resides (Section 34-28-2-2). Choosing the wrong county can stall the case, so submit it where you actually live.

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

Indiana ties venue to where you live rather than to any waiting period: you file with the circuit, superior, or probate court of your county of residence (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-2). No statute fixes a minimum number of months in the state or county before you may apply; what matters is that you genuinely reside in the filing county. Your filing records your current residence and mailing address alongside the other required disclosures (Section 34-28-2-2.5).

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

Yes, Indiana sets the request for a hearing. After a disinterested person's affidavit proves that the notice was published, the judge takes up the matter and enters an order and decree the court considers just and reasonable (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-4). Because the last weekly insertion has to run a minimum of thirty days before that hearing (Section 34-28-2-3), line up the publication schedule and the hearing date together.

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

As soon as the Indiana judge signs the order and decree, ask the clerk for several certified copies. Start with your Social Security record, move on to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for a reissued license or ID, then your passport, and finally banks, employers, and other accounts. Every agency runs its own procedure, yet the certified decree is the single proof of your new legal name, so keep one copy permanently for yourself.

Indiana Name Change Petition

Q: What does an Indiana name change petition have to include?

For an applicant seventeen or older, an Indiana filing sets out the date of birth, residence and mailing address, the number from a driver license, state identification card, or photo exempt identification card, every prior name used, documentation of United States citizenship, a statement on whether a valid United States passport is held, and a rundown of all felony convictions (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-2.5). The filing is verified and has to satisfy Administrative Rule 9 on record confidentiality.

In Indiana an adult files a name change petition in the circuit, superior, or probate court of the county where they live, then publishes notice in a newspaper three weeks in a row before the hearing. Attorney review available.

Introduction

Indiana treats an adult name change as a verified proceeding with an unusually detailed disclosure package. The person seeking a new name petitions the circuit, superior, or probate court of the county where they live (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-1 and Section 34-28-2-2). What sets the process apart is what the filing has to reveal: for anyone at least seventeen years old it must list the applicant's date of birth, home and mailing address, the number from a driver license, state identification card, or photo exempt identification card, every prior name used, documentation of United States citizenship, whether the applicant holds a valid United States passport, and each felony conviction under state or federal law (Section 34-28-2-2.5). The filing must also conform to Administrative Rule 9 on confidential court records. Before the judge rules, notice runs in a county newspaper of general circulation across three weekly insertions, the final one appearing no fewer than thirty days ahead of the hearing date (Section 34-28-2-3). Once someone verifies the published notice by affidavit, the court weighs the request and enters whatever order and decree it finds just and reasonable (Section 34-28-2-4). Certified copies of that decree then carry the new name to the Social Security Administration, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and every other record. DocDraft assembles your Indiana petition from the details you supply, with attorney review available before anything reaches the clerk.

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Key Things to Know

1
Three Indiana trial courts can grant an adult name change, the circuit, superior, and probate courts, and you bring your request in whichever one serves the county you live in (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-1 and Section 34-28-2-2).
2
The filing is unusually revealing: anyone seventeen or older must supply a date of birth, home and mailing address, the number from a driver license, state ID, or photo exempt ID card, a full list of past names, evidence of United States citizenship, a passport statement, and every felony conviction (Section 34-28-2-2.5).
3
Notice of the request has to appear three separate weeks in a county newspaper of general circulation, and the last of those insertions must run at least thirty days before the day set for the hearing (Section 34-28-2-3).
4
The filing also has to conform to Administrative Rule 9, the rule governing which court records stay confidential, so handle identifying details accordingly (Section 34-28-2-2.5).
5
Two categories of applicant are shut out: someone confined in a Department of Correction facility and anyone classified as a lifetime sex or violent offender, with a narrow exception for a change rooted in a sincerely held religious belief (Section 34-28-2-1.5).
6
A disinterested person swears an affidavit confirming the notice ran, that proof goes into the file, and only then does the judge take up the matter and enter the order and decree the court considers just and reasonable (Section 34-28-2-4).
7
Once the decree is entered, request certified copies from the clerk and carry the new name to the Social Security Administration, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, your passport, and your accounts; the court sets the filing charge locally, and a waiver is available when you cannot pay it.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Name Change Petition in Indiana, 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

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IN THE [CIRCUIT / SUPERIOR / PROBATE] COURT OF [COUNTY] COUNTY, INDIANA

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

Cause No. ______________

VERIFIED PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-1 et seq.)

Petitioner, being duly sworn, respectfully states:

Petitioner. Petitioner's present legal name is [CURRENT LEGAL NAME]. Petitioner's date of birth is [DATE OF BIRTH] and petitioner is over 18 years of age.
Residence and venue. Petitioner resides at [STREET ADDRESS], [CITY], [COUNTY] County, Indiana, with a mailing address of [MAILING ADDRESS]. This petition is filed with the [circuit, superior, or probate] court of the county in which petitioner resides, as required by Section 34-28-2-2.
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].
Required information. As required by Section 34-28-2-2.5, petitioner states: petitioner's Indiana driver license, state identification card, or photo exempt identification card number is [ID NUMBER]; all previous names used by petitioner are [PREVIOUS NAMES, or NONE]; petitioner is a United States citizen and attaches proof of citizenship; petitioner [does / does not] hold a valid United States passport; and petitioner [has no felony convictions / discloses the following felony convictions: ____________].
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 unlawful purpose. Petitioner is not confined to a Department of Correction facility and is not a lifetime sex or violent offender (Section 34-28-2-1.5).
Publication. Petitioner will publish notice of this petition by three weekly publications in a newspaper of general circulation in this county, with the last weekly publication not less than thirty days before the day the petition is heard, and will file proof of publication with the Court, as required by Section 34-28-2-3 and Section 34-28-2-4.

WHEREFORE, petitioner asks the Court, after proof of publication is filed, to hear this petition and enter an order and decree changing petitioner's name from [CURRENT LEGAL NAME] to [REQUESTED NEW NAME], and for any further relief the Court determines is just and reasonable.

VERIFICATION

I affirm under the penalties for perjury that the foregoing representations are true and correct.

Dated: [DATE]

[CURRENT LEGAL NAME], Petitioner

Note: This Indiana adult name change petition follows Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-1 et seq. Indiana fixes the venue (a circuit, superior, or probate court in your county of residence), spells out an unusually detailed set of petition disclosures (Section 34-28-2-2.5, covering identification, citizenship, passport, and felony history), and requires three weekly newspaper insertions with the last one running at least thirty days before the hearing (Section 34-28-2-3). Verify the current local forms and the court's filing charge with the clerk where you live. For the base template and every other state, visit the Name Change Petition hub.

Indiana Requirements for Name Change Petition

Circuit, Superior, or Probate Court in Your County
Indiana routes an adult name change to one of three trial courts, the circuit, superior, or probate court, in the county where the applicant lives. The statute empowers Indiana's circuit, superior, and probate courts to change the names of natural persons on a petition (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-1), and directs the petition to the court for the county in which the person resides (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-2).
Residency and Venue
Venue turns on where you live: you bring the petition in the circuit, superior, or probate court of your county of residence (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-2). Indiana attaches no minimum durational stay before you may petition; the test is simply that you reside in the filing county. The petition records your residence and mailing address (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-2.5).
Newspaper Publication of the Notice
Notice of the request has to appear three separate weeks in a newspaper of general circulation for the county where the case is filed, and the final weekly insertion cannot run later than thirty days before the day the matter is heard (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-3). Where the county publishes no such newspaper, the notice runs in the paper published nearest to it in an adjoining county.
Present Name and Proposed New Name
Your verified petition spells out the name you now hold and the exact name you are asking for, together with why you want the change (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-2). The court moves the applicant from the current name to the requested one through the order and decree it considers just and reasonable (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-4).
Required Petition Information and Proof of Identity
When the applicant is seventeen or older, the petition supplies the date of birth, residence and mailing address, the number from an Indiana driver license, state identification card, or photo exempt identification card, every prior name used, documentation of United States citizenship, a statement on whether a valid United States passport is held, and a rundown of all felony convictions (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-2.5). The filing has to satisfy Administrative Rule 9 on record confidentiality.
Good Faith and Eligibility
Affirm that you seek the change in good faith, not to defraud a creditor, sidestep a legal obligation, judgment, or criminal record, or serve any unlawful end. Indiana shuts the door on two applicants: anyone confined in a Department of Correction facility and anyone classified as a lifetime sex or violent offender cannot petition, save for a change grounded in a sincerely held religious belief (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-1.5).
Proof of Publication and the Hearing
You prove the notice ran by lodging a copy of the published notice backed by the affidavit of a disinterested person; with that proof on file, the court takes up the matter and enters the order and decree it considers just and reasonable (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-4). The final newspaper insertion has to run a minimum of thirty days before that hearing (Indiana Code Section 34-28-2-3).
Certified Copies After the Order
With the order and decree entered, request certified copies from the clerk and carry them to the Social Security Administration, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles for a reissued license or ID, your passport, and your other records. The court sets the filing charge locally, and a waiver is available when you cannot pay it. Verify the current local forms and charges with your court.

Introduction

Key Things to Know

Key decisions before you file

Customize your Name Change Petition Template with DocDraft

Indiana Requirements for Name Change Petition

Circuit, Superior, or Probate Court in Your County

Residency and Venue

Newspaper Publication of the Notice

Present Name and Proposed New Name

Required Petition Information and Proof of Identity

Good Faith and Eligibility

Proof of Publication and the Hearing

Certified Copies After the Order

Frequently Asked Questions