Name change in Indiana

These are the steps most people follow for a name change in Indiana, 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

    • An adult can ask an Indiana court to legally change their name if they are not in jail or prison, are seventeen years old or older, are not required to register as a sex or violent offender, and are not trying to avoid creditors.
    • After filing an Indiana name-change petition, you must publish a Notice of Petition for Change of Name in a local newspaper once a week for three weeks, with the last publication at least thirty days before your hearing date.
    • Indiana Legal Help directs people filing a name-change petition to its civil-court filing-fee guide, which states that filing a new case in civil court costs $157, or $185 if you also want the sheriff to serve the papers on the other parties.

    Cost: varies (sources differ — see each step's source)

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    • Indiana Legal Help, a legal-aid project that partners with the state's courts, publishes the statewide Adult Name Change forms packet used to file this petition with the clerk of the court; a separate packet covers changing a minor child's name.
    • If publishing your petition would put you at risk — the state's own Adult Name Change packet gives being transgender as an example — Indiana court rules let you ask the judge to waive publication and seal the entire case file instead. The packet includes a Verified Request to Prohibit Public Access and a supporting legal memorandum from Indiana Legal Services' LGBT Law Project, which cites Indiana Court of Appeals decisions recognizing the risk of harm transgender petitioners face if their case is made public: In re Name Change of A.L., 81 N.E.3d 283 (Ind. Ct. App. 2017); In Re M.E.B., 126 N.E.3d 932 (Ind. Ct. App. 2019); and In Re K.H., 127 N.E.3d 257 (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). Sealing requires its own public hearing on the sealing request, held before your name-change hearing.
    • Under Indiana law, you don't have to pay a filing fee if you can't afford it — you can ask the court for a filing fee waiver. A filing fee is only charged when a case is first started, not for each document filed afterward.

    📝 Get the official form: Indiana Legal Help / Coalition for Court Access — Adult Name Change Instructions and Forms

    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 an Indiana driver's license or ID card, visit a BMV branch within 30 days of your name change; this can't be done online. You must first update your name with the Social Security Administration, then wait at least one business day before visiting the BMV.

    Cost: This page doesn't state a fee for a name update; check with the BMV for the current fee.

    Do first: Social Security card

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    • Acceptable documents include a marriage license, a divorce decree showing your previous and new name, a court order approving a change of legal name, or an original or certified copy of an amended birth certificate showing the new name. Any change to what's printed on your card means a new photo is taken.

    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

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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

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Where to get help

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

Last reviewed 2026-07-13.