Name change in New Hampshire
These are the steps most people follow for a name change in New Hampshire, 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
- New Hampshire's probate court may grant a petition to change your name, and the court cannot require you to get anyone's consent to the change.
- A New Hampshire probate court can grant a name change without public notice. The law lists changing the name of someone who resides in the county as a case needing no notice, at the discretion of the judge — so New Hampshire does not require you to publish a newspaper notice of your petition.
- Filing a Name Change Petition in the Probate Division of a New Hampshire circuit court costs $170. Filing one as part of a Family Division case, such as a divorce, costs $140 instead.
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- If you're incarcerated, on probation or parole, required to register as a sex offender, or convicted of certain violent felonies or crimes against a child, you must make a compelling showing that the name change is necessary, and the court must give notice to the Department of Corrections or the Department of Safety and the original prosecuting office.
- You must reside in the county where you file your petition.
- If you can't afford the fee, you can ask the court in writing to lower it or waive it. Certified copies of your signed order cost $10 each.
Sources
- New Hampshire RSA 547:3-i — Change of Name —
- New Hampshire RSA 550:4 — Cases Requiring No Notice —
- New Hampshire Circuit Court Filing Fees — We cannot check this source automatically for changes. Check it yourself before you file.
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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
Sources
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Step 3: Update your driver's license or state ID
- New Hampshire law requires you to notify the DMV in writing within 30 days of legally changing your name. You do this by making an appointment to bring a completed Record Change Request (DSMV 30) to a DMV office, along with your current license and legal proof of the name change, such as a certified court order, a divorce decree, or a marriage certificate.
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- Name changes can't be done by mail. You'll get a 60-day temporary paper license at your appointment while the state mails your permanent one.
Sources
- New Hampshire DMV — Update Personal Information — We cannot check this source automatically for changes. Check it yourself before you file.
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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.
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
- 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
- GLAD Law (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders) — A New England regional LGBTQ+ legal organization that runs a free legal information line and publishes guidance on name changes and gender-marker corrections for people living in New Hampshire.
- 603 Legal Aid — New Hampshire's statewide legal-aid organization, offering free legal advice and help navigating the name-change process and updating identity documents.
- Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) — New Hampshire identity documents guide — Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) keeps a plain-language guide to changing your name and gender marker on New Hampshire 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.