Legal name change in Georgia
Change detected, under review. An official source this page relies on changed recently. Part of this page may be out of date until we review it.
- Page changed: O.C.G.A. § 9-15-2, Affidavit of indigence (2026-10-12) · #224
- Page changed: O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1, Petition for name change (2026-10-12) · #222
- Page changed: Apply for a name change (2026-10-12) · #221
- Page changed: License FAQs (2026-10-05) · #127
- Page changed: O.C.G.A. § 9-15-2, Affidavit of indigence (2026-09-28) · #30
- Page changed: Fee Schedule (2026-09-28) · #28
- Page changed: O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1, Petition for name change (2026-09-28) · #27
- 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 legally change your name in Georgia by petitioning the Superior Court in the county where you live, but the law requires you to publish a notice in the county's legal newspaper once a week for four weeks. The only exception is for victims of family violence or human trafficking. Expect about $300 in total costs unless you file an affidavit of indigence.
- Main cost
- $218, can be waived
- Apply
- Online or in person
- Typical wait
- 4 weeks
Draft from official sources, September 24, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify
On this page
How it works
Georgia name changes are governed by O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1. Anyone may ask the Superior Court of the county where they live to change their name. There is no statewide form: each county's clerk or self-help center provides its own petition packet, and GeorgiaLegalAid.org has a free guided interview that produces the forms.
The process has three parts that make Georgia harder than many states:
- Newspaper publication. Within seven days of filing, you must publish a notice of your petition (old name, new name, court, and filing date) in the county's legal organ once a week for four weeks. This makes your old and new names public.
- Waiting period and hearing. An adult's petition can be heard no sooner than 30 days after filing. Fulton County gives you a court date when you file and expects you to appear.
- No gender-identity-specific process. You do not have to give your gender identity as the reason; courts must grant a name change that is not for fraud. A court order that also mentions a change of sex is what Georgia's vital records office requires for a birth certificate (see that guide).
Steps
In Fulton County, download the adult packet from the Superior Court's Family Law forms page or pick it up at the Justice Resource Center (free online; $5 in person). Outside Fulton, ask your Superior Court clerk (find yours at gaclerks.org) or use the free GeorgiaLegalAid.org guided interview. A typical packet has a petition, a notarized verification, a notice of petition for publication, and a proposed final order.
Georgia law lets you file without paying court costs if you swear in an affidavit that you cannot pay them (O.C.G.A. § 9-15-2). Have it notarized and file it with your petition. The judge can question it. It does not cover the newspaper's publication charge.
Make a copy of everything, then file the originals with the Clerk of Superior Court in your county (in person or by e-filing where offered) and pay the filing fee. In Fulton County, you get your court date when you file.
- Cost
- $218 superior Court filing fee (civil action)
Within 7 days of filing, take the Notice of Petition to the county's legal organ (the newspaper designated for legal notices; in Fulton the instructions name the Fulton County Daily Report). It must run once a week for four consecutive weeks before your court date. The newspaper gives you a Publisher's Affidavit as proof; bring it to court.
If you are a victim of family violence or human trafficking, you can instead ask the court to file your petition under seal and waive publication (see Publication).
- Cost
- $80 newspaper publication (four weekly notices)
- Time
- 4 weeks
Bring photo ID and the Publisher's Affidavit. The hearing can happen no sooner than 30 days after filing for an adult. Only someone claiming fraud has grounds to object. If the judge grants it, the judge signs the final order.
Buy certified copies of the final order[8]
Get 3 or 4 certified copies from the clerk. In Fulton, a certified copy costs $2.50 for the first page plus $0.50 for each additional page.
- Cost
- $2.50 certified copy of the order (Fulton, first page)
- Social Security first (free). The name changes; the sex field currently cannot be changed.
- Georgia DDS license or ID within 60 days of the order (see the driver's license guide).
- Birth certificate if you were born in Georgia (see that guide; the name alone can be amended with a court order, but the office also asks for a physician's statement).
- Passport, bank, employer, insurance, voter registration.
Costs and fee waivers
Can’t afford it? You may not have to pay.[2][9]
Anyone who swears they cannot pay court costs because of indigence. There is no fixed income cutoff in the statute; the judge may ask about your finances.
File a notarized affidavit of indigence (sometimes called a pauper's affidavit or affidavit of poverty) with your petition. Ask the clerk or Justice Resource Center for the local form.
| What | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court filing fee (civil action)[8][9] | $218 | Can be waivedVaries by county$218 is Fulton County's general civil action fee (effective July 1, 2024). Other counties set their own; GeorgiaLegalAid.org estimates $200 to $250. Call your clerk to confirm. |
| Newspaper publication (four weekly notices)[9] | $80 | Varies by vendorAbout $80 according to GeorgiaLegalAid.org; the newspaper sets the price. An affidavit of indigence does not cover it. |
| Certified copy of the order (Fulton, first page)[8] | $2.50 | Varies by countyPlus $0.50 per additional page in Fulton. |
Free help
Legal clinics, organizations, and funds that help with this.
Fulton County Courts Justice Resource Center[7]
Court self-help center with name change packets, 30-minute attorney consultations for a nominal fee, and a free legal clinic on the last Friday of each month, 9 am to noon. Staff are not lawyers.
404-612-2789185 Shirley C. Franklin Blvd SW, Suite J1-7001, Atlanta, GA 30303Atlanta Legal Aid Society[14][10]
Free civil legal help for low-income people in metro Atlanta; co-author of the GeorgiaLegalAid.org name change and gender marker guides and guided interviews.
GeorgiaLegalAid.org (Georgia Legal Services Program and Atlanta Legal Aid)[9]
Statewide free legal information site with a name change and gender marker explainer, free guided interviews that produce court forms, and a sample doctor's letter for gender marker changes.
Lambda Legal, Southern Regional Office (Atlanta)[15]
National LGBTQ+ legal organization whose Southern Regional Office is in Atlanta. Its Help Desk gives free legal information and referrals about gender identity discrimination.
Point of Pride[16]
National trans-led nonprofit with direct financial aid programs; check its site for current funds that may help with document or care costs.
More detail
Forms4 forms: Fulton Petition to Change Name of Adult, Fulton Notice of Petition to Change Name, Fulton Final Order Changing Name of Adult, GLA name change interview
Open a form for tips on filling it out.
Forms everyone files (3)
Fulton Petition to Change Name of AdultPetition to Change Name (of an Adult), Fulton County Superior CourtRequired
This is Fulton County's form. Other counties (DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, and so on) use their own; ask the clerk or use the GeorgiaLegalAid.org guided interview.
How to fill it out
- Caption: your current legal name next to "Petitioner". Leave the case number blank; the clerk fills it in.
- Paragraph 1: current full name, home address, phone, and year and place of birth.
- Paragraph 2: the complete new name. Do not use initials.
- Paragraph 3 (reason): a short, truthful reason is enough, for example "to reflect the name I use in daily life." You are not required to mention gender identity or give medical information. If you will also want a birth certificate change, talk to a lawyer first: Georgia vital records wants a court order that states the sex change.
- Sign and date. The separate Verification page must be signed in front of a notary.
Fulton Notice of Petition to Change NameNotice of Petition to Change Name (the text that gets published)Required
Fulton Final Order Changing Name of AdultFinal Order Changing Name of Adult (proposed order for the judge to sign)Required
Forms only some people need (1)
GLA name change interviewGeorgiaLegalAid.org name change guided interview (any county)Optional
Free tool from Atlanta Legal Aid Society and Georgia Legal Services Program that produces printable petition forms if your county has no packet.
RequirementsWhere you live, age, criminal record, newspaper notice, hearing, background check, privacy and sealing, timeline
- Where you live
- File in the Superior Court of the Georgia county where you live. Fulton County's packet says you must have lived in Fulton County for at least six months before filing.[1][3][9]
- Age
- 18 or older to file for yourself. A parent or guardian files for a child under 18 (see Minors).
- Criminal record
- The statute does not bar people with a criminal record, but the purpose of publication is to let anyone object that the change is meant to defraud or hide a record. Expect the judge to ask.
- Newspaper publication
- Yes.
Within 7 days of filing, the notice must be published once a week for four consecutive weeks in the legal organ of the county. There is no exemption for gender-identity name changes.
Only for petitioners who are victims of family violence or human trafficking. You ask the court to file the petition under seal; if the judge finds you are a victim, it may waive publication and hear the case under seal. If the judge finds you are not, publication is required before the hearing.
[1][9] - Court hearing
- Yes.
The statute sets the hearing no sooner than 30 days after filing for an adult. Fulton County assigns a court date at filing and tells you to appear for the final ruling. Practice in other counties may differ.
[1][3] - Background check
- No.
The statute does not require fingerprints or a background check. Publication exists so creditors or others can object if they believe the change is for fraud.
[1][9] - Privacy and sealed records
- Not available.
Name change files are public, and the published notice is in the newspaper. Sealing is available only to victims of family violence or human trafficking.
If you qualify as a victim, request filing under seal at the start. Otherwise, a lawyer can advise whether any other protective order is possible in your county.
[1] - How long it takes
About 5 to 7 weeks from filing to a signed order, according to the state's own guide, because of the four-week publication and 30-day wait.
MinorsA parent or guardian petitions for a child under 18.
A parent or guardian petitions for a child under 18. Written consent from each living parent (unless a parent has abandoned the child) or the guardian is required. A parent who has not consented must be served: in person if in Georgia, by certified mail or overnight delivery if out of state, or by publication if the address is unknown. The hearing can occur 30 days after service on an in-state parent, or 60 days for an out-of-state parent. Publication of the petition is also required. Fulton County has a separate minor packet with a consent form.
[1][6]After you finishTake certified copies to Social Security first (the name changes; the sex field cannot currently be changed), then Georgia DDS within 60…
Take certified copies to Social Security first (the name changes; the sex field cannot currently be changed), then Georgia DDS within 60 days (see the driver's license guide). If you were born in Georgia, see the birth certificate guide: vital records asks for a court order plus a physician's statement to change a first name, and a court order stating a surgical sex change to change the sex marker. Then update your passport (name only), bank, employer, insurance, and voter registration.
Tips3 tips from people who have done this
- If you might later want a Georgia birth certificate change, ask a lawyer whether to request an order that also addresses sex in the same case; vital records requires a court order stating the sex change and the name change.
- Publication makes your old and new names public. If that is a safety risk for you and you are a survivor of family violence or trafficking, ask for the sealed process from the start.
- Fulton County's Justice Resource Center holds a free legal clinic on the last Friday of each month (first 50 people who register) and offers low-cost 30-minute attorney consultations.
Laws and other guides2 laws, 2 other guides
Laws and rules
- O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1: Petition for name change; publication; family violence and human trafficking exception; minors
- O.C.G.A. § 9-15-2: Affidavit of indigence; relief from court costs
Other trusted guides
- Advocates for Trans Equality, Georgia identity documents. The page shows no last-updated date.
- Georgia.gov, Apply for a name change
Sources
16 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
- O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1, Petition for name change
“When a name change is requested by a petitioner who alleges to be a victim of family violence or human trafficking, such petitioner may petition the court to file his or her petition to change his or her name under seal. ... Such hearing shall occur upon the expiration of: (1) Thirty days from the filing of the petition if the individual whose name to be changed is an adult.”
- O.C.G.A. § 9-15-2, Affidavit of indigence
“If the party shall subscribe an affidavit to the effect that because of his indigence he is unable to pay the costs, the party shall be relieved from paying the costs.”
- How to change the name of an adult in Fulton County (rev. 7/2014)
“YOU MUST HAVE LIVED IN FULTON COUNTY FOR A LEAST SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO FILING THIS PETITION ... This notice must be published once a week for four weeks in the Fulton County Daily Report.”
- Petition to Change Name of Adult (rev. Oct. 2015)
- Notice of Petition to Change Name (adult)
- Family Court Forms (name change, adult and minor)
- Family Law and Senior Services, Justice Resource Center
“Monthly clinics (last Friday of each month, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.) provide free legal assistance to the first 50 people who register.”
- Fee Schedule
“General Civil Action: $218.00 (effective July 1st, 2024). Copy-Certified/Exemplified 1st page: $2.50; each page after 1st page: $0.50.”
- What should I know about name changes and gender marker changes in Georgia?
“There is no reason other than fraud that someone can object to your name change.”
- Forms for a name change in Georgia (guided interview)
- Apply for a name change
“The process generally takes about five to seven weeks from filing to final order.”
- License FAQs
“You can obtain a name change on your Georgia driver's license/ID by submitting a certified court order indicating the name change.”
- Affidavit for Amendment, Form 3977 (rev. 09/2018)
“To amend the name on the birth certificate requires a court order ... In addition, please provide a statement on letterhead from the physician indicating the intersex/transgender diagnosis.”
- Atlanta Legal Aid Society
- Southern Regional Office
“Lambda Legal established the Southern Regional Office in 1997, serving ten states through advocacy, litigation, and community building.”
- Plans and Costs (financial assistance list)
“Point of Pride - HRT Access Fund: Providing direct financial assistance to trans folks who cannot afford their gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy.”