Name change in Minnesota

These are the steps most people follow for a name change in Minnesota, 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 Minnesota, you must have lived in the state for at least six months, then apply to the district court in the county where you reside. You must appear in person before the court and prove your identity with at least two witnesses.
    • Under Minnesota law, once you meet the name-change requirements, the court must grant your petition unless there is an intent to defraud or mislead, the change is prohibited for another specific legal reason, or — for a minor child's name — the court decides the change is not in the child's best interests.

    Cost: Minnesota's name-change statute doesn't set a filing fee — the district court sets and collects its own fee. Contact the district court in the county where you'll file for the current amount.

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    • Minnesota's name-change statute does not require you to publish notice of your petition in a newspaper, unlike the process in many other states. Anyone who intentionally gives false information on the application commits a misdemeanor. If you have a felony conviction, Minnesota Statutes section 259.13 adds steps: you must serve notice of your application on the prosecuting authority that obtained the conviction (and on the attorney general if the conviction is from another state or a federal court), that office may object, and if it objects you must prove the request is made in good faith and not to defraud or mislead; you may proceed without paying filing fees only if denying the name change would infringe a constitutional right.
    • The court files the signed order and, if the change affects any land records, a certified copy is recorded with the county recorder.

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  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

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

    • To change the name on your Minnesota driver's license or ID card, visit any office that offers driver's license or ID renewals and bring your current license or ID plus a certified marriage certificate, a certified divorce decree, or a certified court order that specifies the name change.

    Do first: Court order, Social Security card

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    • You must update your name with the Social Security Administration first — your full legal name must match your Social Security card exactly before Minnesota will update your driver's license or ID. This is an in-person transaction only; you cannot complete it online or by mail.

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  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.