Vermont Name Change Petition
In Vermont an adult files a name change petition in the Probate Division of the Superior Court in the county where they live, and no newspaper publication is required. Attorney review available.
Introduction
A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name, and once the court allows the change the new name becomes the person's legal name. In Vermont you file the petition in the Probate Division of the Superior Court of the district (county) where you live (15 V.S.A. Section 811 and Section 813). Vermont does not require newspaper publication for an adult name change; the old publication section, 15 V.S.A. Section 815, was repealed, so there is no order to show cause or newspaper notice step. Instead, a person of age and sound mind signs and acknowledges the change-of-name instrument before the judge of the Probate Division and files it. Before allowing the change, the Probate Court asks the Department of Public Safety whether your name is on the Sex Offender Registry, and a registrant cannot change their name unless the court finds a compelling purpose (15 V.S.A. Section 817 and 13 V.S.A. Section 5402). After the change is allowed, Vermont provides for amendment of the birth certificate (15 V.S.A. Section 816), and you use certified copies to update Social Security, your Vermont driver license, and other records. DocDraft builds your Vermont 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; when the court allows the change, that new name becomes your legal name.
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You file the petition in the Probate Division of the Superior Court of the district, meaning the county, where you live (15 V.S.A. Section 811 and Section 813).
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Vermont does not require newspaper publication for an adult name change; the former publication section, 15 V.S.A. Section 815, was repealed, so there is no order to show cause or newspaper notice step.
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A person of age and sound mind signs and acknowledges the change-of-name instrument before the judge of the Probate Division of the Superior Court, and the instrument is then filed with that court (15 V.S.A. Section 811 and Section 813).
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Before allowing the change, the Probate Court asks the Department of Public Safety whether your name is on the Sex Offender Registry, and a registrant cannot change their name unless the court finds a compelling purpose (15 V.S.A. Section 817 and 13 V.S.A. Section 5402).
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Vermont sets no fixed durational residency period in the statute; the requirement is that you reside in the district (county) where you file, and the petition uses the Vermont Judiciary form Petition of Adult to Change Name.
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After the change is allowed, Vermont provides for amendment of the birth certificate (15 V.S.A. Section 816); order certified copies to update Social Security, your Vermont driver license or ID, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available if you cannot afford it.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Name Change Petition in Vermont, 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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Vermont Requirements for Name Change Petition
An adult name change in Vermont is handled by the Probate Division of the Superior Court. The change-of-name instrument is signed and acknowledged before the judge of the Probate Division of the Superior Court of the district in which the person resides (15 V.S.A. Section 811) and is filed in that Probate Division (15 V.S.A. Section 813).
You file in the Probate Division of the Superior Court of the district (county) where you live, and the instrument is filed in the district in which the person resides (15 V.S.A. Section 813). Vermont sets no fixed durational residency period; the requirement is that you are a person of age and sound mind who resides in the district where you file.
Vermont does not require newspaper publication for an adult name change. The former publication section, 15 V.S.A. Section 815, was repealed, so there is no order to show cause or newspaper notice step. You sign and acknowledge the change-of-name instrument before the judge of the Probate Division and file it (15 V.S.A. Section 811 and Section 813).
The petition states your present legal name and the exact new name you are requesting. Under the statutory form, a person of age and sound mind declares the name by which they will hereafter be known and called (15 V.S.A. Section 811), and the court allows the change from the present name to the proposed name.
State the reason for the requested name change. Vermont uses the Judiciary form Petition of Adult to Change Name, filed in the Probate Division of the Superior Court of your district (15 V.S.A. Section 811 and Section 813). A person of age and sound mind may change their name for any lawful reason.
State that the change is made in good faith and not to defraud a creditor, evade a legal obligation, judgment, or criminal record, or for any unlawful purpose. Vermont's statutory limit is the Sex Offender Registry gate: the court cannot allow a registrant to change their name absent a compelling purpose (15 V.S.A. Section 817).
Upon receipt of the change-of-name form, the Probate Court requests the Department of Public Safety to determine whether your name is on the Sex Offender Registry established by 13 V.S.A. Section 5402. If your name is on the Registry, the court shall not allow the change unless it finds, after letting the Department appear, a compelling purpose (15 V.S.A. Section 817). No fingerprinting is required.
After the change is allowed, order certified copies of the order from the court. Vermont provides for amendment of the birth certificate (15 V.S.A. Section 816). Use certified copies to update Social Security, your Vermont driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
A name change petition is the court document an adult files in Vermont to legally change their own name. You state your present legal name and the new name you want, confirm you live in the district where you are filing, and give the reason. A person of age and sound mind signs and acknowledges the change-of-name instrument before the judge of the Probate Division of the Superior Court, and once the court allows the change the new name becomes your legal name (15 V.S.A. Section 811 et seq.).
In Vermont you file a Petition of Adult to Change Name in the Probate Division of the Superior Court of the district (county) where you live, and pay the filing fee or request a fee waiver (15 V.S.A. Section 811 and Section 813). Vermont does not require newspaper publication for an adult change because 15 V.S.A. Section 815 was repealed. The Probate Court checks the Sex Offender Registry, and then allows the change. You use certified copies of the order to update your records.
No. Vermont does not require newspaper publication for an adult name change. The publication section that once applied, 15 V.S.A. Section 815, was repealed, so there is no order to show cause or newspaper notice step for an adult. Instead, you sign and acknowledge the change-of-name instrument before the judge of the Probate Division of the Superior Court and file it (15 V.S.A. Section 811 and Section 813). This makes a Vermont adult name change simpler and less public than in states that still require publication.
An adult name change in Vermont is handled by the Probate Division of the Superior Court. By statute, the change-of-name instrument is signed and acknowledged before the judge of the Probate Division of the Superior Court of the district in which the person resides, and is then filed in that Probate Division (15 V.S.A. Section 811 and Section 813). File in the district, meaning the county, of your legal physical residence.
Vermont requires you to file in the Probate Division of the Superior Court of the district where you reside, and the change-of-name instrument is filed in the district in which the person resides (15 V.S.A. Section 813). The statute does not set a fixed number of months you must have lived in Vermont or the district before filing; the key requirement is that you are a person of age and sound mind who resides in the district where you file.
Vermont's adult name change is a filed, acknowledged instrument rather than an adversarial order to show cause. A person of age and sound mind acknowledges the change-of-name instrument before the judge of the Probate Division of the Superior Court and files it (15 V.S.A. Section 811 and Section 813), and there is no statutory newspaper hearing step for a standard adult change. The court consults the Sex Offender Registry before allowing the change (15 V.S.A. Section 817).
Yes. When a change-of-name form is filed, Vermont law requires the Probate Court to ask the Department of Public Safety whether your name appears on the Sex Offender Registry established by 13 V.S.A. Section 5402. If your name is on the Registry, the Probate Court cannot allow the change unless it finds, after letting the Department of Public Safety appear, that there is a compelling purpose for it (15 V.S.A. Section 817). No fingerprinting is required for a Vermont name change.
Once the Probate Division of the Superior Court allows your Vermont name change and signs its order, order several certified copies from the court. Vermont also provides for amendment of your birth certificate (15 V.S.A. Section 816). Use the certified order to update your Social Security record first, then your Vermont driver license or ID, your passport, and then banks, employers, and other accounts. The certified order is the document that proves your new legal name, so keep at least one copy.