Name change in Hawaii
These are the steps most people follow for a name change in Hawaii, 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
- In Hawaii, an adult name change is granted by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor rather than by a court. Only current Hawaii residents are eligible for a name change granted this way.
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- You pay a $50.00 filing fee, a $1.00 archive fee, and a $5.00 service fee — all non-refundable — plus a separate newspaper publication fee (starting around $204.19) and a $41 registration fee to record your order at the Bureau of Conveyances. The process to change your name may take 8 to 12 weeks. A name change isn't necessary if you're a Hawaii resident who was married in Hawaii and declared your spouse's name on your marriage certificate, or if you're divorced and your divorce decree stipulates resuming a maiden name or previous name.
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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 your name on a Hawaii driver's license or state ID card, make an AlohaQ appointment at a Driver Licensing Center, complete the Driver's License Application Form, and submit proof of your name change.
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- At your appointment you'll also take a vision test and be fingerprinted, then pay the required fee and have your photo taken. The county's page links to a separate downloadable document listing which proof-of-name-change documents it accepts; read that document before your appointment to confirm what to bring.
📝 Get the official form: State of Hawaii Driver's License Application
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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
- Legal Aid Society of Hawaii — Hawaii's public-interest civil legal aid law firm, which can help income-eligible residents with name-change and other civil legal filings.
- ACLU of Hawaii — LGBTQ+ Rights — The ACLU of Hawaii publishes information and advocacy updates on LGBTQ+ rights in Hawaii, including issues affecting transgender residents.
- Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) — Hawaii identity documents guide — Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) keeps a plain-language guide to changing your name and gender marker on Hawaii 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.