Clients seeking to change their names on their driver’s license, birth certificate and/or passport must file a petition for a legal change of name. A name change can be obtained by adults, and by children with the consent of their legal parents. Clients who are transgendered may file an action to change their first name to a name of the opposite gender, as part of the transitioning process for sex reassignment surgery.
A court may only refuse to grant the name change if there is evidence that the client intends to fraudulently deprive others of any legal rights under the law.
Once the name change is obtained, the client may update all of the client’s identity documents to reflect the new name, including the birth certificate, driver’s license, social security card, passport, and other non-governmental institutions.
