Name change in Idaho

These are the steps most people follow for a name change in Idaho, 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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  1. Step 1: Get a court order for your name change

    • To legally change your name in Idaho as an adult, you complete a Petition for Name Change and file it with the court, using the forms and instructions on the Idaho courts' self-help site. The filing fee is $166.

    Cost: $166

    Varies by court/clerk.

    More detail
    • The forms include a General Civil Case Information Sheet, an Unredacted and a Redacted Petition for Name Change, a Notice of Hearing, and — once a judge grants your petition — a Judgment for Name Change. After you file, you take the Notice of Hearing to a newspaper your county has designated, which must publish it once a week for four consecutive weeks before your hearing.

    Sources

  2. 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.

    Do first: Court order

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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

    Sources

  3. Step 3: Update your driver's license or state ID

    • To update the name on your Idaho driver's license or ID card, you bring a document proving the name change, such as a valid unexpired U.S. passport or passport card in your current legal name, a certified marriage certificate, a certified divorce decree, adoption papers, or court-ordered name change documents.

    Do first: Court order

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    • The Idaho Transportation Department lists these as the accepted documents for a name change on its required-documents page for driver's licenses and ID cards.

    Sources

  4. 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.

    Cost: No fee when you use Form DS-5504 within a year of issuance ($60 if you want it expedited). Otherwise standard application fees apply.

    Do first: Court order

    More detail
    • 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

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Where to get help

These organizations publish their own guides or can help you directly.

Last reviewed 2026-07-13.