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Legal name change in American Samoa

Change your legal name
Limited
Publication requirementA rule in some states that a name-change petition be printed in a newspaper before it is granted. Many states waive it for trans petitioners or for safety.
Required
Court hearing
Required
Sealed recordA court file that is kept confidential and not available to the public.
Not offered

You can ask the High Court of American Samoa to change your name, but there is no statute or official form. The court requires notice in a newspaper and notice to your matai and immediate family, and no waiver or sealing is known. Talk to a lawyer before you file.

Draft from official sources, September 24, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify

On this page
  1. How it works
  2. Steps
  3. Free help
  4. Requirements
  5. Minors
  6. After you finish
  7. Laws and other guides
  8. Sources

How it works

American Samoa has no name change statute. The High Court recognizes the common-law right to change your name, and will grant a petition unless it is for a fraudulent purpose or infringes on others' rights (Application of Amataga, 1995; In re Mase, 2004).

Based on those decisions and A4TE's guide:

  • You file a written Petition for Name Change and a Notice of Hearing with the High Court. There is no court form, so you or a lawyer draft them.
  • The court sets a hearing date. You publish the notice twice in a newspaper of general circulation, the first time at least 30 days before the hearing.
  • The court has also required actual notice to your matai (family chief) and immediate family.
  • At the hearing, you show proof of publication and notice. If granted, the order is sent to the Registrar of Vital Statistics.

Steps

  1. Draft the petition and notice of hearing[1][2]

    Include your citizenship or nationality and village of residence, your date of birth, your current name and the name you want, your reasons, and a statement that you are not changing your name to avoid law enforcement, legal process, or creditors and know of no pending legal action against you. Ask the court to set a hearing, grant the change, and send a certified copy of the order to the Registrar of Vital Statistics. Sign under oath before a notary.

  2. File with the High Court[1]

    File in person at the High Court or by mail to High Court of American Samoa, P.O. Box 309, Pago Pago, AS 96799. Ask the clerk for the current filing fee and whether it can be waived.

  3. Publish the notice and notify your family[1][2]

    When the court returns the notice with a hearing date, have it published twice in a local newspaper, the first time at least 30 days before the hearing. Give notice to your matai and immediate family. Keep proof of both.

  4. Attend the hearing[2][1]

    Bring proof of publication and notice. If notice is missing, the court may postpone the hearing and order you to give notice.

  5. File the order with Vital Statistics[1][3]

    Send a certified copy of the order to the Office of Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 6894, Pago Pago, AS 96799, (684) 633-1405 or 633-1406. This records the name change but may not change your birth certificate (see the American Samoa birth certificate guide).

Free help

Legal clinics, organizations, and funds that help with this.

More detail

RequirementsNewspaper notice, hearing, privacy and sealing
Newspaper publication
Yes.

Publication twice in a newspaper of general circulation, the first at least 30 days before the hearing, plus actual notice to your matai and immediate family.

[2][1]
Court hearing
Yes. [2][1]
Privacy and sealed records
Not available.

No procedure for sealing a name change case is known.

[1]
MinorsThere is no specific process for minors.

There is no specific process for minors. A parent or guardian should consult an attorney.

[1]
After you finish1. Social Security first (see the federal Social Security guide).
  1. Social Security first (see the federal Social Security guide). The Office of Motor Vehicles expects your Social Security card to show the new name.
  2. Driver's license or ID (see the American Samoa driver's license guide).
  3. Passport (see the federal passport guide).
Laws and other guides2 laws, 1 other guide

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

5 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. American Samoa Identity DocumentsAdvocates for Trans Equality, Organization. accessed
    “The Petitioner should forward that notice to a newspaper of general circulation to be published twice, with the first publication date at least 30 days before the hearing.”
  2. Application of Pita Amataga for Change of Name, CA No. 85-95High Court of American Samoa (via asbar.org), Court. accessed
    “At common law, a person is free to adopt and use whatever name he or she chooses; however, the court is not subject to the whims of every petitioner.”
  3. In re Petition to Change Name of Tia'i Mase, 9 Am. Samoa 3d 125 (2004)Caselaw Access Project, Court. accessed
    “An individual has a common law right to change his or her name, so long as such modification is not done for a fraudulent or improper purpose.”
  4. Trans LifelineTrans Lifeline, Organization. accessed
  5. GenderbandsGenderbands, Organization. accessed