Name change in Georgia
These are the steps most people follow for a name change in Georgia, in order. Each links to its official source and the date we last checked it. When you're ready, build a personalized checklist that covers every document at once.
This is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change, so always confirm with the official source linked on each step, and talk to a lawyer or legal-aid organization about your specific situation.
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Step 1: Get a court order for your name change
- To legally change your name in Georgia, you file a petition with the Clerk's Office of the Superior Court of the county where you reside. When you request a name change you are generally required to publish notice of your petition and wait at least 30 days before a hearing; courts may waive the publication requirement in some cases, such as for victims of family violence.
Varies by court/clerk.
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- The notice must appear in a newspaper specified by the court at least once a week for four weeks. You will need proof of identity, and the required forms for your petition — such as a Petition to Change Name, a Verification form, and a Notice of Petition — which can vary by county and are provided by the Clerk's Office of the Superior Court. At a hearing, a judge reviews your case and decides whether to grant it. The whole process generally takes about five to seven weeks from filing to a final order, depending on the court's schedule.
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Step 2: Update your Social Security record
- Social Security still changes the legal name on your Social Security record. A valid court order for a name change is one of the events Social Security recognizes as changing your legal name, and you apply with Form SS-5, the Application for a Social Security Card.
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- Social Security's policy manual defines your legal name as your first name and last name — the name you use to sign legal documents. For a person born in the United States, that is generally the name shown on the birth certificate, unless the name changed through an event such as a marriage or a valid court order for a name change. The sex marker on your record is handled separately and under a different rule — see the Social Security sex marker step.
📝 Get the official form: Form SS-5 — Application for a Social Security Card
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Step 3: Update your driver's license or state ID
- To change the name on your Georgia driver's license or ID, you submit a certified court order to the Department of Driver Services showing the name change. Its FAQ lists marriage certificates, divorce decrees, adoption orders, gender-change orders, and name-change orders as accepted documents, and it says a driver's license name change must be done within 60 days of the date your name changed.
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- If you were married in Georgia after 1982 and want to hyphenate your name, you instead present a certified copy of the marriage license application showing the hyphenated name.
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Step 4: Update your U.S. passport
- To update the name on your U.S. passport, submit a passport application with an original or certified copy of the document that legally changed your name, such as a court order.
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- If your name changed within 1 year of your most recent passport being issued, mail Form DS-5504 with the name-change document — you will not have to submit any fees for this service. If it has been more than a year, renew by mail with Form DS-82 and a certified name-change document, or apply in person with Form DS-11. If you have no legal documentation of the change, you apply in person with Form DS-11 plus Form DS-60, Affidavit Regarding a Change of Name.
📝 Get the official form: Form DS-82 — U.S. Passport Renewal
Sources
- U.S. Department of State — Change or Correct a Passport — We cannot check this source automatically for changes. Check it yourself before you file.
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Where to get help
- Georgia Equality — Statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization that tracks Georgia policy and publishes know-your-rights information relevant to transgender residents.
- Georgia Legal Services Program — Free civil legal aid for low-income and senior Georgians outside metro Atlanta, including help with legal filings such as a name-change petition.
- Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) — Georgia identity documents guide — Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) keeps a plain-language guide to changing your name and gender marker on Georgia documents. Their staff write and update it. Read it alongside this checklist.
- Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) — National advocacy organization (formerly the National Center for Transgender Equality) with plain-language guides to updating federal identity documents (Social Security, passport) after a name or gender-marker change.
- Lambda Legal Help Desk — National LGBTQ+ legal organization offering a free legal help desk for questions about discrimination and legal name/gender-marker changes.