Georgia Name Change Costs, Fees & Steps
How Much Does It Cost For an Adult Name Change In Georgia?
Court Cost is $214 . Some courts charge less, and some charge more. There are other costs too. Changing Legal Names is a VERY personal and important decision. So, understandably, it isn’t simple or free. Even finding out about all the costs involved, so you can feel comfortable to make the decision, can be complicated and frustrating.
This article will break down all the costs and the processes where the costs come up. Here’s the Legal Name Change Costs in Georgia, all in one place: Details, itemization and totals.
Itemized Costs - Legal Name Change for an Adult in Georgia
When you legally change your name, you receive a Name Change Document and can get your ID and Official Records changed. In Georgia, that document is called a Final Order Changing Name of Adult and you need a Certified Copy of that to show the ID agencies. At the end of the Name Change Petition process, upon approval by a Superior Court Judge, you can get a Certified Copy(s) of your Court Order. Each step to get your Certified Copy has a cost associated with it.
The Steps are:
- Prepare a Notarized Petition
- File the Petition at the Superior Court
- Arrange Advertising, Approval Hearing and get your Final Order, upon approval.
- Get the Certified Copy(s) of your Final Order Changing Name of Adult
- Update your ID and Official Records
Georgia Name Change Cost & Fees, Details
1. Cost to Prepare and Notarize a Name Change Petition in Georgia
$190 – EZ Full Service. All Petition documents prepared and filed correctly with your information. EZ Name Change is a Licensed/Bonded Legal Name Change Document Assistant, specializing exclusively in Name Change Petitions since 2012. You can prepare your own Petition without paying extra to anyone, by getting the forms from the court, completing and filing it all correctly. It’s a little bit complicated, so be prepared to spend some hours and have enough patience to get it wrong once or twice if you try this yourself. You can also hire a private Attorney to help you for between $600 to $2500 extra, plus court and advertising costs.
Figure $8 for a Notary, paid directly. Notary charges can be free, if you can find a court affiliated clinic or self-help office near you, or may cost up to $100, or more, for a mobile Notary to come to you. Notaries are privately provided services and are widely available. You can find one at many private mailbox offices, banks and other community service organizations. A Google Search for “Notary near me”, will return A LOT of options. You must have your Petition Notarized before Filing.
2. Court Filing Fee in Georgia
$214 – The Court Filing Cost in Georgia is between $200 and $290, depending on the county where you live now. Whether you do everything yourself, have EZ Name Change help you, or have someone else help you, this Court Filing cost will apply.
If you can’t afford to pay the court filing costs, you can ask the court to waive your court costs, based on poverty. Even If Court Filing Fees are waived, the Advertising, Notary, and Document Preparation Service (if used) fees will still need to be paid.
When you file your name change petition forms, the Superior Court Filing fee must also be paid. If you’re going to request a fee waiver, those forms must be completed and turned in with the Petition instead of paying the court filing fee.
Contact Us to ask for your County’s exact filing fee or about an Affidavit of Poverty/Indigency to request the fees be waived.
3. Advertising – Public Notice Costs
Name Change Advertising costs between $45-$105, including the cost of the Affidavit/Proof of Publishing. This Advertising, including the Proof of Publication, is required and must be done on time and correctly. Your Petition documents must include a Notice of Petition to Change Name and, after that’s properly stamped and processed, your required Legal Notice Ads must run correctly in the County’s designated legal notice publication. The Notice has to be published once a week, for four consecutive weeks, starting right after the Petition Filing. An Affidavit, or Proof of Publication must be provided in order to request your Hearing for Approval of your Petition. Payment for the Public Notice Advertising must be paid when your Petition is Filed or shortly thereafter.
The cost to publish isn’t waived if you get an Order on Affidavit of Poverty. The newspaper advertising cost still must be paid. Each County has one authorized publisher with one price. However, those prices vary depending on the publisher’s price in your county.
In the different Counties, the Advertising charge will be either $40, $50, $60 or $80. That charge covers all 4 of the required weekly ads. In addition to the cost of the ads, you need to pay the fee charged by the newspaper to provide a sworn Affidavit. That charge is another $5, or $25 depending on the publisher’s practice. Figure on paying between $45 and $105 for the Advertising and Affidavit.
With EZ Name Change FULL SERVICE, we’ll collect and pay all the Court and Newspaper related costs from and for you. Our REPORT will confirm all those details, including the Advertising run dates. We will ask that you pay $115 of the totals when you begin. Then we’ll ask you for the balance (typically $349) after you return your signed Petition.
4. Certified Copy Cost - Name Change Court Order in Georgia
Certified Copies cost $1 to $3 each. A Certified Copy isn’t a regular copy. It’s an Official Record and, properly prepared, is honored by every State and Federal Government Agency, and even Internationally. You must have a Certified Copy of your Final Order Changing Name of Adult in order to update your ID and Official Records with Social Security, DDS, Passport, Bank, Professional Licensing, and other core agencies. Many of your relationships won’t need to see a Certified Copy, but the main ID places will.
You can get your Certified Copies from the Superior Court directly, after you get your signed Final Order from the court. You can get as many Certified Copies as you want. And, you can get more, even years later, from that same place. We recommend that you get 2-5 of them, so figure $10 for Certified Copies.
Summary – TOTAL Costs of Name Change Petition Process for an Adult in Georgia
Typical Full Service TOTAL: $ 467
INCLUDES: EZ Full Service ($190), the court Filing ($214), and the Newspaper Ads/Proof ($45): Also includes Notary ($8) and Certified Copies ($10).
These are the current actual Full Service Total Costs for Fulton County. Other counties will be close in price, but may be a little less or more. We will let you know your county’s actual costs upon your request and/or by written confirmation after you completion of our Questionnaire (Start Now). You will be asked to pay $115 of the total with any credit or debit card, at the end of Questionnaire for Full Service. After you return the signed Petition, we’ll ask for the balance of $349 (typically). You’ll pay the Notary ($8) and Certified Copy ($10) charges when you get those services during the process. We’ll provide all the guidance for that when it’s time. All of that equals $467, TOTAL.
There’s a reason EZ Name Change is the only 5-Star Name Change Service. A lot of reasons, actually.
DIY Cost to Change Name in Georgia
You will pay all the same costs for the Legal Name Change process if you do everything yourself. Doing it all yourself will save the EZ FULL SERVICE fee ($190), so your costs would typically be about $286.
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