Name Change Arizona – How to Change Your Name in Arizona
Changing Your Name in Arizona - How it Works
Legal Name change in Arizona starts by filing a Name Change Application in Superior Court. It ends when your judge signs a Court Order, upon approval. This will explain how those things happen and what has to happen in between to be successful.
Besides learning how Legal Name Change works, you will also want to get other information so you can make decisions. Other pages have details about Name Change Costs, How Long the process takes, and what EZ Full Service can do, if you want help with the legal steps.
Once you have a judge’s approval, you’ll get a Certified Copy of an Order Changing Name, which is honored everywhere. An Order Changing Name (Court Order) is what all government agencies, schools, financial institutions and private organizations want to see before they will agree to change your ID and other important records.
How to Legally Change Your Last Name in Arizona
Legally changing your last name is more common than changing a first or middle name. That’s because marriage and divorce have traditionally affected people’s last names only. It’s also the most common type of name change because families pass along last names, and change them for lots of reasons over generations. However, Arizona residents can use the Name Change Petition process to change a last name for any valid reason, even if you just don’t like your last name or you want a particular new last name for the way you see your future, or maybe to honor someone important to you.
Adults and/or Children can legally take a new last name, restore a former one, or maybe fix the spelling of a last name. The Superior Court process will work for any of those types of situations. Marriage Certifificates and Divorce Judgments are common ways to legally change a last name but you have to have the changes documented before they are signed. If you change your mind about your name, after you are married or divorced, you can use this Court Process to get your Last Name exactly how you want it going forward. The Arizona Name Change Application process doesn’t have limitations about the name possibilities like marriage and divorce processes.
How to Legally Change Your First or Middle Name in Arizona
Anyone can change your first or middle name by correctly filing an Application for Change of Name. Minors (under 18) will need to have a Parent sign for them. The Arizona process for changing a First, or Middle Name is exactly the same as it is for changing a Last Name in Superior Court. Marriage License and Divorce Judgment Name Changes won’t work for First Name Changes and many Middle Name Changes.
Name Change Application Process in Arizona
To properly prepare a Name Change Application in Arizona, you’ll need to know the steps and what information is required. Arizona has a systemitized process statewide, but each county and each court can have particular requirements. So, it’s best to study up a bit to know what’s involved, even if you’re going to have a Name Change Specialist help you.
Steps for Legal Name Change in Arizona
How to legally change your name:
- Prepare a Name Change Application
- File your Name Change Application and arrange a Hearing
- Give and file Notices, Consents, Proof of Publication, Proof of Service as required, if any
- Court Order – Prepare for and Attend Your Hearing; Get Order Changing Name, upon approval
- Update Your ID and Official Records
Step 1 – Application For Name Change Arizona
First, Prepare it.
Gather and prepare all the Application Forms required by the Superior Court in the County where you live now. All the forms, toget These will be needed everywhere:
- Civil Cover Sheet
- Application For Change of Name
- Notice of Hearing
- Order Changing Name
In addition to the standardized Application Forms, certain Arizona Counties may have an additional form(s) they require.
Information to have ready to fill in:
- Information from your birth certificate: birth date, birth place, etc.
- Other legal names you’ve had, if any: married name, maiden name, previous legal name change, naturalization or adoption, etc.
- Criminal history details, if any
- Proposed New Legal Name and reason(s) for requesting it
As a Name Change Specialist with FULL SERVICE, EZ name Change will correctly prepare and file your Application, get your Hearing arranged, and prepare/file any Notices, Consents, Publication Requests or Proofs of Service, if any are required.
Step 2 – Filing the Application and Hearing Arrangements
Next, File it.
The Application must be filed in the County Superior Court where the person who is changing names lives now. In your county, you may have more than one Superior Court to choose from.
Each court charges a filing fee. You can apply for Deferral or Waiver of Court Fees if you can’t afford those and want to pay the Court charges later, in payments, or not at all. For more information about court filing and other costs, visit this page: Name Change Arizona Costs If you’ve made mistakes or haven’t completed all the correct forms, you may have to redo them and return to file again.
When you file your Application, you must either pay the filing fee in full, or file a completed Application for Deferral/Waiver and Order. The court will decide whether your Court Fees can be waived or deferred.
After successfully filing your Name Change Application, the court will assign you a Case Number and then you need to get a Hearing Assignment. Each courthouse has their own procedure for assigning your case to a judge and setting a Hearing date, time and place. The hearing dates are usually 6-12 weeks or longer away, depending on how crowded the court’s schedule is.
Before the Hearing, you will need to provide legal notice of the Hearing to people with an interest in your Name Change, if any. More about this in Step 3, below.
In the days before your Hearing date, you’ll want to prepare. Being prepared at your Hearing will likely make the difference between a lengthy and delayed (or worse) experience or a brief and successful one. More about Hearing Preparation in Step 4, below.
EZ Name Change FULL SERVICE includes all Court Filings and Hearing Arrangements.
Step 3 –Notice, Consent, Publication, Serve, if required
For Adult Name Change, you may have an obligation to get Consent if you are currently married, have minor children, or have other people with a stake in your legal name. In these situations, if Consent isn’t available or possible, you may need to legally Serve Notice upon the person(s).
For Changing the Name of a Child(ren), you will need to provide documentation, in the Form of Consent, Waiver for Notices, and/or Published Notice so the court can understand the position of the parents and the minor(s) (if the minor is 14 or older).
To decide if there’s another person(s) who should either Consent or be Served Notice of your proposed Name Change, think if there’s anyone or anything that could be negatively affected if your name is legally changed. You will likely know if you have such a situation or not. If you’re in doubt, you may want to get legal advice from a licensed attorney. Some possibilities might be ex-spouses or other relations who are to receive something of value from you, or victims to whom you may owe restitution, or authorities you may have to report to, or obligations you may owe by court order, etc.
EZ Name Change Customers get the benefit of our document preparation, filing support and guidance for Notices, Consents, Service or Publishing requirements, if any.
Step 4 – Court Order, Upon Approval - Hearing
Prepare for your Hearing
You will be expected to bring documents to your Hearing and be prepared to answer questions. Anything you don’t have will likely cause delay or may even result in denial or dismissal of your case. Plan to gather your documents and review your information. We recommend you do this at least 1 week in advance of your Hearing, in case you need to scramble for something you still need. The complications of your particular situation should determin how much preparation is needed and may predict if your Hearing will be very brief or lengthy.
Appear at your Hearing
You must attend your Hearing unless the court has given you written notice that your Appearance is not required. DO NOT fail to Appear for your Hearing. Arrive at least 15 minutes early so you can be sure to be in the right place and get setteled. Other people may also be in the Hearing room for other cases, so be attentive and patient.
Bring with you:
- Any other person(s) that may be required or helpful
- 2 copies of “Order Changing Name for the Judge to sign
- Photo ID
- 1 Court Stamped Copy of ALL documents filed
- Any required, properly completed Consent or Proof of Service/Publication documents
- Any prior Court Orders related to the proposed Name Change Orders/Documents
- Proof of Citizenship Status
- Copy of government issued birth certificate (certified preferred)
Your judge will make all decisions about what documents and testimony is needed.
Get Certified Copy(s) of your Order Changing Name, upon approval.
You need a Certified Copy of the judge-signed Order Changing Name to Update ID and Official records. A Certified Copy IS NOT like a regular copy, and can only be obtained from the court where your original court order is kept. We recommend that you get 2 Certified Copies, or 3 if you plan to update your Birth Certificate. See Step 5 for more details.
EZ Name Change Customers each receive a Post-Decree Checklist with contact information and hints for quick and successful records changing once you have your Certified Decree Changing Name.
Step 5 – Update your ID and Official Records
No ID is Updated automatically after Court Order Name Change. Some Id Agencies will only allow you to update your own, or your child’s, ID. Each place will have their own application form and may require some additional documentation, so check with each of their websites to see what each one needs.
You will be able to get more Certified Copies whenever you might need them, even years later. Social Security will give your Certified Copy back to you after they’ve verified it. You can get as You will be able to reuse one Certified Copy with multiple places. Only the core ID Agencies will require that you present a Certified Copy of your Order Changing Name.
EZ Name Change Customers each receive a Post-Decree Checklist with contact information and hints for quick and successful records changing once you have your Certified Decree Changing Name.
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