Texas Name Change Petition
In Texas an adult files a name change petition in the district court of the county where they live, and must include fingerprints and a criminal-history statement instead of newspaper publication. Attorney review available.
Introduction
A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name, and Texas stands apart by requiring no newspaper notice at all: your verified petition carries a sworn criminal-history statement and a complete set of your fingerprints instead. In Texas you file the petition in the county of your place of residence, where the district court hears an adult name change (Texas Family Code Section 45.101). Texas does not use newspaper publication. Instead, your verified petition must include your present name and residence, the new name you want, the reason for the change, a sworn statement about your criminal history, and a legible and complete set of your fingerprints on a card acceptable to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI (Texas Family Code Section 45.102). The court shall order the change if it is in your interest or to your benefit and in the interest of the public (Texas Family Code Section 45.103). If you have a felony conviction or are subject to sex-offender registration, extra conditions apply before the court may grant the change. After the judge signs the order, you use certified copies to update Social Security, your Texas driver license, and other records. DocDraft builds your Texas 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 is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name; in Texas the district court must order the change when it is in your interest or benefit and in the interest of the public, and the judge's order makes the new name legal.
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An adult files the petition in the county of their place of residence, where the district court hears the name change (Texas Family Code Section 45.101).
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Texas does not require newspaper publication. In its place, your verified petition must include a sworn criminal-history statement and a legible, complete set of your fingerprints on a card acceptable to the Department of Public Safety and the FBI (Texas Family Code Section 45.102).
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The petition must state your present name and residence, the full name you are requesting, and the reason for the change (Texas Family Code Section 45.102).
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The court shall order the change if it is in your interest or to your benefit and in the interest of the public (Texas Family Code Section 45.103).
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If you have a felony conviction, the court may grant the change only if two years have passed since you completed your sentence, probation, or parole, or you were pardoned, or you are changing to your primary criminal-history name; a sex-offender registrant must also show proof of notice to local law enforcement (Texas Family Code Section 45.103).
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After the judge signs the order, order certified copies from the clerk to update Social Security, your Texas driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs is available.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Name Change Petition in Texas, 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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Texas Requirements for Name Change Petition
An adult files a Texas name change in the county of the adult's place of residence, where the district court, the trial court of general jurisdiction, hears the petition (Texas Family Code Section 45.101). In some counties a statutory county court exercises this jurisdiction; confirm with the district clerk which court hears name changes in your county.
You file in the county of your place of residence (Texas Family Code Section 45.101). A participant in the state Address Confidentiality Program is not required to provide the residence address or the stated reason in the petition (Texas Family Code Section 45.102).
Instead of newspaper publication, Texas requires your verified petition to include a sworn criminal-history statement and a legible, complete set of your fingerprints on a card in a format acceptable to the Department of Public Safety and the FBI (Texas Family Code Section 45.102). This screening is a defining feature of the Texas process.
Texas Family Code Chapter 45 does not require an adult to publish notice of a name change in a newspaper. The fingerprint and criminal-history requirements take the place of the published notice that many other states use.
The verified petition must state your present name and place of residence, the full name you are requesting, and the reason the change is requested (Texas Family Code Section 45.102). The court changes the name from your present name to the requested name in its order.
The court shall order the change of name if the change is in the interest or to the benefit of the petitioner and in the interest of the public (Texas Family Code Section 45.103). For most adults with a lawful reason and a clean record, this standard is met.
If you have a felony conviction, the court may order the change only if the general standard is met and either two years have passed since you completed your sentence, probation, or parole, or you were pardoned, or you are changing to your primary criminal-history name. A sex-offender registrant must also provide proof of notice to the local law enforcement authority (Texas Family Code Section 45.103).
After the judge signs the order, order certified copies from the district clerk and use them to update Social Security, your Texas driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs is available if you cannot afford it.
Frequently Asked Questions
A name change petition is the court document an adult files in Texas to legally change their own name. Your verified petition states your present name and residence, the name you want, and the reason, and it must include a sworn criminal-history statement and a complete set of your fingerprints (Texas Family Code Section 45.102). The court signs an order changing your name if the change is in your interest and in the public interest, and that order makes the new name your legal name (Texas Family Code Section 45.103).
In Texas you file a petition for change of name in the district court of the county where you live, attach a legible set of your fingerprints and a sworn criminal-history statement, and pay the filing fee or file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs (Texas Family Code Section 45.101 and Section 45.102). Texas does not require newspaper publication. If the change is in your interest and the public interest, the court signs the order, and you use certified copies to update your records.
No. Texas Family Code Chapter 45 does not require an adult to publish notice of a name change in a newspaper. Instead of publication, Texas requires your verified petition to include a sworn criminal-history statement and a legible, complete set of your fingerprints on a card acceptable to the Department of Public Safety and the FBI (Texas Family Code Section 45.102). This fingerprint and criminal-history screening takes the place of the newspaper notice that many other states use.
An adult name change in Texas is filed in the county of your place of residence, where the district court, the trial court of general jurisdiction, hears the petition (Texas Family Code Section 45.101). In some counties a statutory county court exercises this jurisdiction. File in the county where you reside, and confirm with the district clerk which court will hear name-change petitions in your county.
Yes. Texas requires your verified petition to include a legible and complete set of your fingerprints on a fingerprint card in a format acceptable to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with a sworn statement about your criminal history (Texas Family Code Section 45.102). This is a defining feature of the Texas process and takes the place of the newspaper publication used in many other states.
Yes. In Texas, if you have a felony conviction the court may order the change only if the general standard is met and either two years have passed since you completed your sentence, probation, or parole, or you were pardoned, or you are changing to your primary criminal-history name. A person subject to sex-offender registration must also provide proof of notice of the proposed change to the local law enforcement authority (Texas Family Code Section 45.103).
A Texas court shall order a change of name if the change is in the interest or to the benefit of the petitioner and in the interest of the public (Texas Family Code Section 45.103). For most adults with a clean record and a lawful reason, this standard is met and the court signs the order. The added felony and sex-offender conditions in the same section apply only if they fit your situation.
Once the Texas judge signs the order changing your name, order several certified copies from the district clerk. Use them to update your Social Security record first, then your Texas driver license or ID, your passport, and then banks, employers, and other accounts. Each agency has its own process, but the certified order is the document that proves your new legal name. Keep at least one certified copy for your records.