Legal Name Changes
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If you wish to legally change your name for reasons other than marriage, our Las Vegas Family Lawyers will make the process as simple as possible. You may change your first or last name or both. You may also change a child’s name, but the process is slightly different than the one for an adult.
For Adults:
- You will need to list a reason why you desire to change your name;
- If you have ever been convicted of a felony, you must disclose this to the court and submit a set of fingerprints to the court along with your paperwork. If the judge grants your name change, the court will submit a copy of the name change to the Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History for inclusion in your criminal record; and
- Unless you are changing your name for gender identity reasons, you must publish a notice of the proposed name change one time in a newspaper in Clark County. If you believe doing this would put your safety at risk, our Las Vegas Family Attorneys can request a waiver asking the court to waive the publication requirement.
For Children:
- A parent must apply for the name change on behalf of the child;
- The child must consent to the name change if he/she is older than 14;
- A reason for the name change is required;
- Both biological parents must consent to the name change. Exceptions to this are if the other parent is deceased, had their parental rights (legally) terminated, or has no legal rights regarding the child; and
- Any parent who refuses to consent to the name change must be served with copies of the papers asking for the name change. That parent may object to the change. If the other parent cannot be located, the parent requesting the name change can be granted permission to run a notice in the newspaper instead.
After a Name Change is Granted by the Court:
Once you receive a court order for the name change, you must then change the name with all government agencies, the DMV, banks, etc. It will be your responsibility to make these changes; the court order does not automatically change your name with these institutions. Most will require a certified copy of your order which you can receive from the court after the order is granted (the court charges a small fee for each certified copy).
Can I Change my Birth Certificate?
You can request your birth certificate be re-issued with your new name as part of your final name change order. If the judge grants the order, you will need to contact the vital records departments where you were born to find out their requirements. Note –> Our Las Vegas Family Lawyers will help you gather this information before submitting your petition to the court to ensure the correct language/requirements are included during the process if you wish to change your birth certificate as each county may have different requirements.
What if my Current Birth Certificate has an Error? How do I get that Corrected?
The vital statistics office in the county where the birth certificate was issued can tell you the process for having a correction made. Please let your attorney know in the beginning if there is an error on your current birth certificate.
How Long Does the Process Take?
Are There Any Reasons I Cannot Change my Name?
As long as you are not changing your name to attempt to defraud your creditors or evade criminal charges, no. You will be signing under oath that these are not the reasons you are changing your name. If you have ever been convicted of a felony that involves fraud, the judge always reserves the right to deny your name change.
The process generally takes a while due to the amount of paperwork, publication requirement, etc. If the change is for a child and the other parent contests, this will cause the case to take even longer.
How do I Get Started?
Give us a call at 702-515-1500. We will ask you about the specifics of your case, and help you get started right away.
We look forward to working with you!
Call us today at 702-515-1500 or Schedule Your Consultation online now.
