Name change in Nevada
These are the steps most people follow for a name change in Nevada, 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 Nevada you file a verified petition for a name change with the district court in the county where you live. You must publish a notice about your petition one time in a newspaper in that county — unless you're changing your name to conform to your gender identity, in which case you don't have to publish anything or fill out the notice form at all.
Varies by court/clerk.
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- Along with the petition, you file a Family Cover Sheet and, once your case is ready, an Order for Change of Adult Name for the judge to sign; some counties also want a Request for Summary Disposition & Declaration in Support. You must disclose any felony convictions, and if you have a criminal record you will need to submit fingerprints. When publication is required, the newspaper gives you an Affidavit of Publication to file with the court, and the judge cannot grant your name change until 10 days after the notice is published. The filing fee is set by each county — ask your local district court what it charges, and ask about a fee waiver if you cannot afford it.
📝 Get the official form: Petition for Adult Name Change
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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 Nevada driver's license or ID card, first update your name with the Social Security Administration — the DMV cannot process your name change until SSA's records are updated. Then make an appointment and visit a Nevada DMV office in person with your current license or ID and an original or certified legal document that authorizes the change, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order.
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- You also complete the Application for Driving Privileges or ID Card (DMV 002). An updated Social Security card by itself is not enough proof of the name change. Standard fees apply: $8.50 for a non-commercial driver's license, $7.50 for an ID card, and $12.50 for a commercial driver's license.
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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 Center of Southern Nevada — Family Justice Project — Southern Nevada's civil legal-aid provider publishes free self-help guidance specifically on correcting your name and gender marker in Nevada, and can help low-income residents with filings.
- ACLU of Nevada — Know Your Rights — The ACLU of Nevada publishes a plain-language know-your-rights page on name changes, gender markers, and birth certificates in Nevada.
- Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) — Nevada identity documents guide — Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) keeps a plain-language guide to changing your name and gender marker on Nevada 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.