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Legal name change in District of Columbia

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  • Page changed: Application for Change of Name (2026-10-05) · #119
Change your legal name
Yes
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.
Not required
Court hearing
Required
Sealed recordA court file that is kept confidential and not available to the public.
Not offered

DC residents can change their name in DC Superior Court for a $60 fee (a fee waiver is available). There is no newspaper publication. You must mail a copy of your application to your creditors by certified mail and attend a short remote hearing.

Main cost
$60, can be waived
Apply
Online or in person

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. Costs and fee waivers
  4. Free help
  5. Forms
  6. Requirements
  7. Minors
  8. After you finish
  9. Tips
  10. Laws and other guides
  11. Sources

How it works

DC law lets any resident ask the Superior Court for a new name (D.C. Code § 16-2501). The newspaper publication requirement was repealed in 2013. You file one application packet, and the judge decides at a short hearing held by video (Webex). The hard part is notice: before the hearing you must send a copy of your application and hearing notice by certified mail with return receipt to every creditor the court lists (landlord, utilities, phone company, banks, credit cards, lenders) and file proof they were delivered. Missing receipts are the most common reason hearings get postponed.

You do not need a doctor's letter to change your name. The reason "to match my gender identity" is enough.

Where to file depends on your age. The Civil Actions Branch takes adults 21 and older. If you are under 21, or have an open Family Court case, you file at the Family Court Central Intake Center in the same courthouse.

Separately, the court can also issue a declaration of gender change (useful if you were born in a state that requires a court order to fix your birth certificate). See the birth certificate guide.

Steps

  1. Gather your documents[5]

    • Valid (unexpired) photo ID: driver's license, ID card, or passport.
    • Proof of DC residency: lease, utility or phone bill from the last 60 days, bank statement from the last 60 days, pay stub or W-2, or a DC property tax bill.
    • The court may also ask for your birth certificate, earlier name change orders, a marriage certificate or divorce decree, or naturalization papers. Foreign-language documents need a certified translation.

  2. Fill out the application packet[5][7]

    Complete the Application for Change of Name of an Adult. List all creditors in item 19. Wait to sign it until you are in front of the clerk or a notary. If you need a fee waiver, fill out the Application to Waive Court Costs and Fees too.

  3. File at DC Superior Court[4][5]

    21 and older: Civil Actions Branch, Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Room 5000 (202-879-1133). The court's web page says you can also file online. Under 21: Family Court Central Intake Center, same courthouse.

    Pay the $60 fee (cash, card, check, or money order to "Clerk of the Courts") or hand in your fee waiver application. The clerk gives you an Order and Notice of Final Hearing with your hearing date. The clerk copies your documents and gives the originals back.

    Cost
    $60 court filing fee (adult or minor name change)

  4. Mail notice to your creditors and anyone else the court names[5][3][6]

    Send a copy of the application and the Order and Notice of Final Hearing to everyone checked on the order, by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested (or have an adult who is not part of the case deliver it in person). This usually means every creditor, and it can also include probation or parole, a bankruptcy court, or an immigration court.

    Keep every green return-receipt card or a USPS tracking printout showing delivery. Then fill out the Affidavit/Declaration of Service by Mail, attach the receipts, and file it before the hearing. Mail early, since receipts can take two weeks to come back. The minor packet says notices must go out within 10 days of filing.

    Cost
    Varies uSPS certified mail with return receipt (one per creditor or interested party)

  5. Attend the remote hearing[5][4][11]

    The final hearing is held by Webex in remote Courtroom 400. It is usually short. Anyone who objects must appear or file a written objection at least 5 business days before. If you are missing proof of notice, the judge will usually continue (postpone) the case, not deny it. If you do not appear, the case can be dismissed without prejudice, which means you can file again.

  6. Get your certified orders[5]

    If the judge grants the application, you receive at least five certified copies of the Order for Change of Name. You can ask for more at the hearing. Keep them safe; each agency will want to see one.

  7. Update your other documents, in this order[9][5]

    1. Social Security first. DC DMV will not change your name until Social Security has it.
    2. DC DMV license or ID, in person (see the driver's license guide).
    3. Birth certificate: if you were born in DC, you can update the name when you change the gender marker (see the birth certificate guide). Otherwise contact your birth state.
    4. Passport, bank, employer, insurance, voter registration, school records.

Costs and fee waivers

Can’t afford it? You may not have to pay.[7]

You qualify if any one is true:

  • You or a dependent receive a listed benefit (Medicaid or DC Healthcare Alliance, SNAP, SSI, SSDI, TANF, WIC, LIHEAP, public housing or a housing voucher, and others on the form).
  • A free legal services organization or a DC law school clinic represents you.
  • Your income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or you show you cannot pay.

File the application with your name change packet. The form says your financial information is kept confidential.

Application to Waive Court Costs and Fees

WhatCostNotes
Court filing fee (adult or minor name change)[5][6]$60Can be waived
USPS certified mail with return receipt (one per creditor or interested party)[5]VariesVaries by vendorSet by the Postal Service and charged per letter. With many creditors, this can cost more than the filing fee. A court fee waiver does not cover postage.

Free help

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

More detail

Forms3 forms

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

Forms everyone files (1)

Application for Change of Name of an Adult (full packet, revised December 2023)Required

One PDF with the instructions, the application, the Order and Notice of Final Hearing, the Affidavit of Service by Mail, the Affidavit of Personal Service, and the Order for Change of Name.

How to fill it out

  • Item 3 (reason): a short statement is enough, for example "to conform my name to my gender identity." You do not need a medical letter.
  • Items 7-8: list every earlier legal name and other names you have used. Leaving one out can delay the case.
  • Item 19 (creditors): list every company you pay or have an account with, even if the balance is zero. The court uses this list to decide who you must notify.
  • Sign only in front of the clerk or a notary. The packet is sworn under penalty of perjury.

Open the form[5][4]

Forms only some people need (2)

Application for Change of Name of a Minor (Family Court)Sometimes required: For a child. Filed by a parent, guardian, or next friend at the Family Court Central…

For a child. Filed by a parent, guardian, or next friend at the Family Court Central Intake Center. Includes the Consent to the Request for Change of Name for the other parent.

Open the form[6]

Application to Waive Court Costs and FeesOptional

Only if you cannot afford the $60 filing fee.

How to fill it out

  • Question 1: check any benefit you or a dependent receive (Medicaid or DC Healthcare Alliance, SNAP, SSI, SSDI, TANF, public housing, a housing voucher, LIHEAP, and others). If you check one, skip to the Declaration.
  • Question 2: if a free legal services group or DC law school clinic represents you (for example Whitman-Walker), say yes and skip to the Declaration.
  • Question 3 and after: otherwise, show that your income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or explain your hardship.

Open the formOfficial Spanish version[7]

RequirementsWhere you live, age, criminal record, newspaper notice, hearing, background check, privacy and sealing, timeline
Where you live
You must live in DC now, wherever you were born. Bring proof of DC residency (lease, recent utility or phone bill, bank statement, pay stub, or a DC ID with your current address).[1][3][4][5]
Age
18 or older to apply for yourself (21 or older to file at the Civil Actions Branch; under 21 files at Family Court). A parent, guardian, or next friend applies for a minor.
Criminal record
A felony conviction, probation, parole, or supervised release does not bar a name change, but you must say so on the application and mail notice to the supervising and law enforcement agencies the court names.
Newspaper publication
No.

DC repealed its newspaper publication requirement in 2013 (D.C. Law 20-37, repealing D.C. Code § 16-2502). Instead, the court decides who must get notice by mail, which usually means your creditors.

[2][3]
Court hearing
Yes.

Court Rule 205 requires a final hearing for every name change. It is held remotely by Webex, usually on a later day than filing, and is usually brief.

[3][4]
Background check
No.

No fingerprints or background check. You must disclose felony convictions, probation or parole, and sex offender or gun offender registration on the application. If any apply, you must notify the agencies the court lists, and the court sends the order to law enforcement.

[5][3]
Privacy and sealed records
Not available.

DC law does not provide for automatic sealing of name change cases, and the court's forms have no sealing request. The application you mail to creditors includes your old and new names. If you have safety concerns, talk to a lawyer (for example Whitman-Walker Legal Services) before filing about asking the judge to limit who gets notice or to seal the file. Separately, a court gender declaration keeps medical records out of the public file by default.

[3][8]
How long it takes

Plan on several weeks from filing to hearing (the court publishes 2 to 5 weeks for minors), depending on how fast your return receipts come back.

MinorsA parent, guardian, or next friend files the Application for Change of Name of a Minor at the Family Court Central Intake Center (500…

A parent, guardian, or next friend files the Application for Change of Name of a Minor at the Family Court Central Intake Center (500 Indiana Avenue NW, or by email to FamilyCourtCIC@dcsc.gov). The fee is $60. The packet includes a Consent form for the other parent. If a parent will not consent or cannot be found, talk to a lawyer: the court decides who must get notice and may hold a contested hearing. Notices (including to any creditors) must go out within 10 days of filing, and the process takes about 2 to 5 weeks. The court gives two certified copies of the order.

[6][1][11]
After you finishWith your certified order, update Social Security first, then the DC DMV, then your birth certificate (if born in DC, through DC Health…

With your certified order, update Social Security first, then the DC DMV, then your birth certificate (if born in DC, through DC Health Vital Records; otherwise your birth state), passport, bank, employer, and insurance.

Tips3 tips from people who have done this
  • Make a list of your creditors before you file. A missing return receipt is the most common reason hearings are postponed.
  • If a green card has not come back, print the USPS tracking page showing "delivered" and attach it to your affidavit instead.
  • Whitman-Walker and TransLAW run free Name and Gender Change Clinics that help with the whole process.
Laws and other guides4 laws, 1 other guide

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

11 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. D.C. Code § 16-2501, Application; persons who may fileCouncil of the District of Columbia, Law. accessed
    “Whoever, being a resident of the District and desiring a change of name, may file an application in the Superior Court setting forth the reasons therefor”
  2. D.C. Code § 16-2502, Notice; contents [Repealed]Council of the District of Columbia, Law. accessed
    “[Repealed]. (... Nov. 5, 2013, D.C. Law 20-37, § 3(b) ...)”
  3. Superior Court Civil Rule 205, Change of Name or Gender DesignationSuperior Court of the District of Columbia, Court. accessed
    “The court must hold a final hearing on the application.”
  4. Application for Change of NameDC Courts, Court. accessed
    “The Civil Actions Branch handles name change applications for adults age 21 and older. Applicants under the age of 21 or with an open Family Court case should apply at the Family Court Central Intake Center.”
  5. Application for Change of Name for an Adult (revised December 2023)Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Form. accessed
    “The cost the filing and Application for Change of Name of an Adult is $60.00”
  6. Application for Change of Name of a MinorSuperior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, Form. accessed
    “The process may take approximately 2 -to- 5 weeks to complete.”
  7. Application to Waive Court Costs and Fees (rev. January 16, 2026)Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Form. accessed
    “I believe that my monthly income does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty guidelines”
  8. Application for Declaratory Judgment Reflecting a Change of GenderSuperior Court of the District of Columbia, Form. accessed
    “unless otherwise requested by Applicant, any medical records filed along with this application will be redacted”
  9. Name Changes and CorrectionsDC Department of Motor Vehicles, Official page. accessed
    “If your name has changed, you must first change or correct your name with the Social Security Administration”
  10. District of Columbia Identity DocumentsAdvocates for Trans Equality, Organization. accessed
    “The most common reason for name changes to be denied in DC is because of procedural problems with the notification requirement”