How Much Does It Cost To Change Your Child’s Name In New York?
Child Name Change Costs in New York
Changing a Child’s Last Name is a big deal. And, sometimes you want to change your child’s first or middle names too. It’s not free or simple, but It’s really important to get Your Child’s Name exactly the way it should be, right. This short article will give you information about all the Child Name Change Costs in New York.
Legal Name Change is commonly understood to mean the process of getting a Supreme Court Order saying your child changed an existing legal name to a new legal name. In New York the costs to do that are based on the court process, not which part of a name is being changed. Any part, even if it’s just one letter, or just the middle name, if you want your child’s name changed legally on ID, the process for that is called a court process called “Name Change”.
The process is a little complicated, but not very expensive compared to other things this important. And, you can have EZ Full Service help to get through the process, if you want.
Summary of Costs to Change a Child’s Name
Some of the costs will depend on how many parents are signing the Petition, what county your child lives in now, and how many Certified Copies you want. Here’s an approximate summary of what you need to spend if you have us do your Petition, with FULL SERVICE, and both parents are signing the Petition:
- Full Service Petition $190
- Petition Filing $210
Total EZ Full Service Cost to Change Child’s Name is $400 (approx., add costs for serving the other Parent if appropriate). You don’t pay this all to begin. You pay $115 of it when you start and then the balance after you return the signed Petition in our Return Envelope.
eXpedite: EZ offers eXpedite service for $45 (saves 2-3 weeks of mail time only)
Additional Costs:
- Certified Copy $5-8 each (paid to the court, upon approval). 2 recommended.
- Notary $5, if needed (can be $3 to $100 or more, for mobile Notary)
Total, Total – $415 (includes 2 Certified Copies)
If your child is 14 or older, a $5 Minor’s Consent Notary charge will be required. Notary charges may also be needed if both parents aren’t Petitioning for the Name Change. The Supreme Court can waive their fees for Filing and Certified Copies if you qualify. With FULL SERVICE, we can help you with the forms to Request to Waive Court Costs, at no extra charge.
Categories of Costs to Change Your Child’s Name
There are 4 categories of Child Name Change Costs in New York:
- The Petition Paperwork
- Filing the Petition
- Providing Legal Notifications, if needed
- Certified Copy of Order Granting Name Change (Court Order)
The Petition Paperwork
The “Petition” is actually a set of 5-9 or more name change forms. First, fill them all out and file them in a proper Supreme Court. You can get blank forms, at no cost, from any New York Supreme Court. Then, you can fill out all the forms yourself or you can have us prepare it all for you. We charge $190 for Name Change Full Service, which includes completing all the Forms correctly, Court Filing, Guidance on completing the court process and Customer Service Throughout. You won’t have to spend any money to do them all yourself. But, be prepared to spend a chunk of time – maybe many hours.
Filing Your Petition
The New York Supreme Courts charge a standard Filing Fee, which is subject to change at any time by the State. The current costs in New York (Supreme Court) to file is $210 in all New York Counties.
Multiple children’s names can be changed in one Petition Filing if they’re in the same family, live together, and the Petition is prepared correctly. Also, filing costs don’t change whether one or both parents are signing the Petition.
Legal Notice
New York law requires that both parents either agree to a Child’s Legal Name Change or have a chance to object if possible. Both parents can Petition, or either parent may initiate it alone. There are no additional costs for both parents as Petitioners.
If 1 parent is Petitioning for a child’s Name Change alone, then the other parent must be Served with Notice, if possible. Proof of Service must be obtained and submitted to the judge. If Service can’t be done, efforts must be documented and submitted to the judge for approval. Your judge will want to be satisfied that both parents’ opinions about the name change have been considered, if possible.
If a second parent’s parental rights have been terminated, doesn’t exist, or if the other parent is deceased, support documentation can be provided to the judge.
Certified Copies
Certified Copies cost $5-8 each. We recommend you get 2 or more, so figure $15 for Certified Copies.
Upon approval, a judge will sign an Order Granting Name Change and then you can receive a Certified Copy of that Court Order. A Certified Copy of the Court Order is what you need to update all ID and Official Records: Social Security, Birth Certificate, School, Passport, etc.
1 Parent - Serving a Non-Consenting Parent
This will cost $5 to $100, depending on your situation.
If both parents agree on the Name Change, but only one is one is Petitioning, then the other parent will be Consenting. There will be a $5 Notary charge for the Consenting Parent’s Signature. If the child is 14 or older, another Notary Charge will be required for the Child’s Consent also.
If a non-consenting parent cannot be Served, an explanation and/or documentation must be supplied to the judge. Your judge will decide if more is needed or not.
Serving a non-consenting Parent will usually cost between $5 and $100, depending on where the other parent is and what type of process you use to Serve. $5 for a Notary, if you have a friend Serve for you, about $14 for specific USPS mail Service (specific rules apply), or as much as $35-100, or more, for a private mail service, process server or a Marshall/Sheriff to personally Serve.
If the other parent can’t be found, is deceased, or never existed, then you can submit an explanation to let the judge know the details about why the other parent can’t be Served and what your efforts have been.
More About How EZ Name Change Can Help
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