How Long to Change Your Name in Georgia?
6 to 12 weeks
From the day you start, to the day you have your Final Order in your hands, it will likely be 2-3 months for an Adult Name Change in Georgia. It can be more, or less. The time it takes can vary from county to county, and sometimes from courthouse to courthouse. We outline the timing for the three steps of this process, and the amount of time needed to complete each step.
The 3 Steps – How Long to Change Your Name in Georgia
Before you can get your Name Change recognized by government ID agencies, Professional Licensing Organizations, banks and other institutions, you need to show them a Certified Georgia Superior Court Order. Here are the three steps to get your Certified Final Order Changing Name of Adult:
- Prepare, Sign, Notarize, File and Advertise your Name Change Petition
- Use your Publishing Affidavit to set and attend your Hearing. Upon Approval, get your Signed Final Order Changing Name and your Certified Copies of it.
- Update Your ID and Official Records. You’re going to smile when you see it on your ID, exactly the way you wanted. Use your NEW Name for every legal purpose
How much time each step takes will depend on how much time you can spend on it. So, how long to change your name in Georgia depends on you. This is particularly true for steps 1 and 3.
1. How Long to Prepare, File and Advertise Your Georgia Adult Name Change Petition
Less than 5 minutes to complete the EZ Questionnaire. Your Name Change Petition will then be prepared by EZ Name Change with FULL SERVICE.
It takes us 1 business day to have your Petition completed and on the way to you for signatures and notarization before Filing.
It takes less than 1 hour for us to have your Petition at the Court, once we have your signed/notarized Petition and Full Service payment.
TOTAL to Prepare and File= 1-3 days to order, pay for and confirm your required Advertising with Full Service. Figure longer, maybe a lot longer, if you do it yourself.
TOTAL for Advertising = 5-6 weeks is needed to have the Advertising completed and receive the Proof of Publication.
If you are going to do everything for yourself, plan on adding more days, maybe a lot more. You can do these things, but expect to have to redo some of the documents and processes. Most people aren’t familiar with the forms or court procedures and will need to correct some, or many things, as you go. It is possible to get things so wrong that your Petition can become dismissed. Just pay a lot of attention or get help from a specialist if you can.
2. How Long to Set the Hearing and Get Your Certified Copies, Upon Approval
30 days after Filing Your Name Change Petition, your Proof of Your Publication (Affidavit) is used to schedule a Hearing for Approval of Your Petition. Scheduling takes 1 hour. On the day of your Hearing, you’ll go (by appointment) to a courtroom where a judge will review your request. Once Your Case is called, it won’t take very long for the judge to confirm your information, resolve any questions and/or objections (objections are very rare), and decide your Petition result..
Upon Approval, your Petition can be GRANTED that same day. Granting means your judge will sign a Court Order, called Final Order Changing Name of Adult. The court will email or mail a copy of that original, signed Court Order after entering it into the Court’s Official Files. Once you get the Final Order, you can then get your Certified Copies of that Original from the Superior Court. It only takes minutes for the Court Clerk to make your Certified Copies. This step completes the Court Process and, when you have a Certified Copy(s) in your hands, you are ready to begin updating your ID and Records.
Once you file your Petition correctly, It will usually take 8 weeks or so to get your Certified Copies, upon Approval and excluding the time waiting for your Hearing after scheduling it.
3. How Long to Update ID and Official Records in Georgia - State and Federal
It will usually take 1 to 2 months to update your ID and Official Records. It’s really only a few days, but you’ll need to fit it in during your real life daily responsibilities. EZ Name Change will provide you with a CHECKLIST for updating ID and Official Records with Georgia (DDS, etc.) and with the U.S (Social Security and Passport, etc.). You can start using your New Legal Name immediately. By the time your most important ID and Records show your New Name too, your Legal Name will be nearly fully built into your life, if it wasn’t already.
Figure 1 to 3 days to update Social Security and DDS/Real ID. Your starting place should be updating Social Security. We’ll provide you with an Application, and you can go into a nearby office the same day you get your Certified Copies. The day after you update Social Security, you can go directly to DDS and get your Real ID, your Driver’s License or State ID printed with your New Legal Name. No one can make changes to your Social Security or DDS ID except you, and these are your anchor ID, so get those done as soon as possible.
Check the website of each agency, before you go in, to see their CHECKLIST for Name Change update documentation. They may need other documents, but each will want to see your Certified Copy for verification. After SSA and DDS are updated, go to your Bank, Passport Office, Professional Licensing (if any), and Voter Registration to update your Name there too.
Informal accounts, such as Insurance Policies, memberships, even Tax Returns, will take longer and can be updated as you deal with them in real life. For your Tax Returns, for instance, just line through your prior name and neatly write in your New Legal Name on the next Return you file. In one or two cycles, they will update your account.
It won’t take long, if you stick with it, before all your records reflect your NEW LEGAL NAME. All of the most important ones (social security, Real ID, passport, Bank, Professional Licenses, etc.) will want to see your Certified Copy first, and some other identification, before they will make the change you want. Some may also want your fingerprints. MANY of our customers have their Social Security, Driver’s License, School and bank records all changed in a single day.
Like most things, the time it takes to get all your records changed will depend on how much concentrated time you can spend doing it. You can get your birth certificate amended with the Certified Copy, but most adults don’t bother with that because the Court Order is solid proof of your Legal Name once you have the Certified Copy to present.
Summary – How Long to Change Your Name in Georgia
Figure 2-3 months for the Legal Process AND another 1-3 months to Update ID after that. With EZ Full Service, it might be shorter, or longer depending on court calendaring and when you can do your Updating.
- Prepare, Notarize and File Your Petition: 2-4 days if we help, plus 5-6 weeks for the Advertising. Figure 7-12 weeks if you’re going to do it all yourself.
- Get Proof of Publication, Schedule and Attend Hearing, Get your Signed Final Order and Certified Copies. Figure 1-14 days, if we help. Figure longer if you’re doing this yourself.
- Update Your ID and Records: 2-3 days (most important ones) 2-6 months for them all, depending on how much time you put into it.
So, How Long to Change Your Name in Georgia? – Usually 2-3 months if we help you. Changing all the little records will take a little longer. If you don’t start, it will take you forever.
Whenever you may decide to get a Name Change Started, we can have your Petition paperwork done properly in no time flat! EZ Name Change specializes in Preparing Petitions in all of Georgia’s County Superior Courts. If you want 5-Star, Full Service Name Change help, we’ve got it: We’re passionate about helping people like you get the legal name change you want…exactly the way you want. You can do this!
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