Trans Resource Navigator

Legal name change in Louisiana

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
Sometimes
Sealed recordA court file that is kept confidential and not available to the public.
Not offered

Adults in Louisiana can change their name by filing a petition in the district court of the parish where they live or were born. There is no newspaper publication, the district attorney is named as the other party, and a judge decides with or without a hearing. People currently serving a felony sentence cannot petition.

Main cost
$250, can be waived
Apply
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

Louisiana name changes are governed by La. R.S. 13:4751 to 13:4755. You file a short written petition with the district court of the parish where you live (or where you were born), give the reasons for the change, and name the district attorney as the defendant; the DA must be served with the petition and a citation. There is no publication requirement in the statute. The judge may decide the case "in open court or in chambers," so a hearing is up to the court.

Once the judge signs the judgment, the new name becomes your legal name after the judgment is recorded in the parish's miscellaneous records. You can then use certified copies to update Social Security, the OMV, your Louisiana birth certificate (name only), and your passport.

Louisiana has no official statewide petition form. Most people use a model petition and judgment, such as the free step-by-step packet from Louisiana Trans Advocates, and check the parish clerk's local requirements.

Steps

  1. Prepare your petition and proposed judgment[1][2][11][12]

    Write (or fill in a model of) a Petition for Change of Name that states your current name, the name you want, your parish of residence or birth, and the reasons for the change. A simple statement that you are transgender and known by the new name is a common reason; you do not have to include medical details. Name the district attorney of that parish as the defendant and ask that the DA be served. Prepare a proposed Judgment for the judge to sign.

    Louisiana Trans Advocates has a free step-by-step packet with model forms. Attach a copy of your birth certificate and photo ID if your parish asks for them.

  2. Ask to proceed without paying costs, if you qualify[7][6][5]

    Optional

    File the notarized In Forma Pauperis affidavit with your petition. If the judge signs the order, you do not pay costs up front. Note that R.S. 13:4755 says the applicant pays the costs of the proceeding, so ask the clerk how a granted pauper order is handled in your parish.

  3. File with the district court clerk[8][2]

    File the petition, proposed judgment, and any pauper affidavit with the clerk of the district court in your parish, and pay the filing fee. In New Orleans that is the Orleans Parish Civil District Court clerk (421 Loyola Ave, Room 402), where the fee for a petition for name change is $250. Ask the clerk to have the sheriff serve the district attorney and what the service fee is.

    Cost
    $250 filing fee, petition for name change (Orleans Parish Civil District Court)

  4. Wait for the district attorney's answer and the judge's decision[2][3]

    The district attorney represents the state and usually files an answer stating whether they object. The judge can then decide in chambers or set a hearing in open court. If a hearing is set, bring ID and be ready to explain briefly why you want the new name.

  5. Record the judgment and get certified copies[4][8][10]

    The new name becomes your legal name after the judgment is recorded in the parish's miscellaneous records; ask the clerk to record it. Then buy several certified copies of the judgment. Louisiana Vital Records also wants certified copies of the petition and the district attorney's answer if you will update your Louisiana birth certificate, so get those too.

    Cost
    $3 certified copies (Orleans Parish Civil District Court)

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

    1. Social Security first. The OMV checks the SSA record electronically and will not change your name until SSA has it (about 24 hours after SSA updates).
    2. Louisiana OMV driver's license or ID (in person; see the driver's license guide).
    3. Birth certificate, if you were born in Louisiana (see the birth certificate guide).
    4. Passport, bank, employer, insurance, voter registration, school records.

Costs and fee waivers

Can’t afford it? You may not have to pay.[7][6]

A judge may let you proceed without paying costs in advance if you cannot pay them because of poverty (La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 5181 and following). If you are a client of an LSC-funded legal services program (or a pro bono project it refers to) and receive public benefits or have income at or below 125% of the federal poverty level, the program's declaration creates a presumption that you qualify.

File the notarized In Forma Pauperis affidavit and proposed order with your petition.

IFP Affidavit

WhatCostNotes
Filing fee, petition for name change (Orleans Parish Civil District Court)[8]$250Can be waivedVaries by court$225 filing fee plus $25 building fund fee, effective July 1, 2026. Other parishes set their own fees; ask your clerk. Sheriff's service and recording costs may be extra.
Certified copies (Orleans Parish Civil District Court)[8]$3Varies by court$3.00 per page in Orleans Parish. A judgment is usually one or two pages.

Free help

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

More detail

Forms1 form: IFP Affidavit

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

IFP AffidavitIn Forma Pauperis Affidavit (Louisiana District Court Rules, Appendix 8.0)Optional

Only if you cannot afford the filing fee and court costs. It must be notarized and includes a third-party affidavit.

How to fill it out

  • Answer every question; the form says incomplete answers can be rejected.
  • If a legal services program funded by the Legal Services Corporation (or a pro bono project it refers to) is helping you and your income is at or below 125% of the federal poverty level, you can skip the assets section (question 9) and have the program sign the Legal Service Programs' Declaration, which creates a presumption that you qualify.
  • Sign the Mover's Affidavit before a notary, and have someone who knows you sign the Third Party Affidavit before a notary.
  • File it with your petition along with the proposed Order at the end of the form for the judge to sign.

Open IFP Affidavit[7][6]

RequirementsWhere you live, age, criminal record, newspaper notice, hearing, background check, privacy and sealing, timeline
Where you live
File in the district court of the parish where you live, the parish where you were born, or the parish of venue for the Vital Records Registry (Orleans). People who are incarcerated file in the parish where they were sentenced.[1]
Age
18 or older for your own petition. For minors, parents or a tutor sign; see the Minors section.
Criminal record
If you were convicted of a felony you cannot petition until your sentence is satisfied, including probation or parole. People convicted of a crime of violence listed in R.S. 14:2(B) can never petition under this statute.
Newspaper publication
No.

Louisiana's name change statutes (R.S. 13:4751-4755) contain no newspaper publication requirement.

[1][12]
Court hearing
Sometimes.

The judge may decide "either in open court or in chambers" (R.S. 13:4753). Some courts sign the judgment without a hearing after the district attorney answers; others set a short hearing. Minors' petitions not signed by both parents are more likely to have one.

[3][12]
Background check
No.

No fingerprints are required, but the district attorney is a party and can object. People serving a felony sentence (including probation or parole) cannot petition, and people convicted of a crime of violence can never petition under this statute.

[1][2]
Privacy and sealed records
Not available.

Louisiana law has no provision for sealing a name change record, and the judgment is recorded in the parish's public miscellaneous records. If you have a safety concern, talk to a legal aid organization before filing.

[4]
How long it takes

Often 1 to 3 months from filing to a signed judgment, depending on how quickly the district attorney answers and whether a hearing is set. This is an estimate, not a legal deadline.

MinorsBoth parents sign the petition (or the surviving parent).

Both parents sign the petition (or the surviving parent). The other parent's consent is not needed if their parental rights were terminated, or if they were served with the petition and have failed to pay court-ordered support for a year, failed to support the child for three years after a custody judgment, or not paid support and not communicated with the child without just cause for two years. If there is no living parent, the tutor signs. A4TE notes a hearing is likely when a known parent does not sign. Name changes for minors remain legal; the 2023 health care ban does not affect them.

[1][12]
After you finishStart with Social Security (bring the certified judgment and photo ID; the name changes, the sex field currently cannot).

Start with Social Security (bring the certified judgment and photo ID; the name changes, the sex field currently cannot). Then the OMV, in person, for a duplicate license or ID with the new name (about $17 to $25 for most cards). If you were born in Louisiana, mail Vital Records the Application to Amend, certified copies of the judgment, petition, and DA's answer, and $27.50. Then your passport (name changes are still processed; sex marker changes are not, as of September 2026), bank, employer, insurance, voter registration, and school records.

Tips3 tips from people who have done this
  • Ask for 5 to 7 certified copies of the judgment at once; each agency may want its own.
  • If you live outside Louisiana but were born here, you can file in your parish of birth, or get a name change where you live and send that order to Louisiana Vital Records for the name on your birth certificate.
  • The Louisiana Supreme Court's judicial district map shows which district court covers your parish.
Laws and other guides6 laws, 3 other guides

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

17 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. La. R.S. 13:4751, Petition for name change; adults; minorsLouisiana State Legislature, Law. accessed
    “he shall present a petition to the district court of the parish of his residence, the parish of his birth, or the parish of venue for the Vital Records Registry”
  2. La. R.S. 13:4752, Representation of state; serviceLouisiana State Legislature, Law. accessed
    “The proceedings shall be carried on contradictorily with the district attorney or district attorney pro tem of the parish in which the application is made.”
  3. La. R.S. 13:4753, Hearing and determinationLouisiana State Legislature, Law. accessed
    “The judge to whom the application is made, either in open court or in chambers, may proceed to hear and determine the case.”
  4. La. R.S. 13:4754, Judgment; true and lawful name; altering birth recordLouisiana State Legislature, Law. accessed
    “which shall be the true and lawful name of the party asking the change after the recordation of the judgment in the miscellaneous records of the parish”
  5. La. R.S. 13:4755, Payment of costLouisiana State Legislature, Law. accessed
    “The applicant in all cases shall pay the cost of the proceedings.”
  6. La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 5181, Waiver of costs for indigent partyLouisiana State Legislature, Law. accessed
  7. In Forma Pauperis Affidavit, Louisiana District Court Rules Appendix 8.0Louisiana Supreme Court, Form. accessed
    “has qualified to receive free legal services based on his/her income being less than or equal to 125% of the federal poverty level and therefore is entitled to a rebuttable presumption”
  8. Civil District Court civil filing fee schedule, effective July 1, 2026Orleans Parish Civil Clerk of Court, Court. accessed
    “Petition for Name Change: $225.00 filing fee, $25.00 building fund fee, $250.00 total. Certified copies $3.00/pg.”
  9. OMV Policy 22.00, Name Changes and Usage (revised 10/31/2025)Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, Official page. accessed
    “You must change your name with the Social Security Administration prior to changing your name with the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV).”
  10. Amendments to Birth RecordsLouisiana Department of Health, Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “A certified copy of the judgment, petition, and district attorney's answer must be submitted to Vital Records.”
  11. ID Documents CenterLouisiana Trans Advocates, Organization. accessed
  12. Louisiana identity documents (last updated November 2025)Advocates for Trans Equality, Organization. accessed
    “A hearing is not required. There is no publication requirement.”
  13. The Pro Bono ProjectOrganization. accessed
  14. Get HelpSoutheast Louisiana Legal Services, Organization. accessed
  15. Trans LifelineOrganization. accessed