Legal name change in Nebraska
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- 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.
- Sometimes
- Court hearing
- Required
- Sealed recordA court file that is kept confidential and not available to the public.
- Not offered
Adults (19 and older) can change their name by petitioning the district court in the county where they have lived for at least one year. A hearing is required, and notice must be published in a newspaper for two weeks unless the judge waives it because publishing would put you in danger.
- Main cost
- $144, 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
How it works
Nebraska name changes go through the district court in the county where you live. The Nebraska Judicial Branch publishes a free statewide packet of forms (the DC 6:9 series for adults). You file the petition, publish a legal notice in a local newspaper once a week for two weeks (or ask the judge to waive it for your safety), mail the notice to anyone with a legal interest, and then attend a short hearing where you testify about why you want the change. If the judge grants it, you get a signed Decree of Name Change.
In Nebraska you are an adult for this purpose at 19. Younger people need a parent or guardian to file for them.
The court decides whether there is "proper and reasonable cause" for the change. Wanting a name that matches your gender identity is a legitimate reason; state it plainly on the petition.
Steps
Fill out the petition and confidential information form[4]
Download the adult packet from the Nebraska Judicial Branch self-help page. Complete the Petition (DC 6:9.1) and the Confidential Party Information form (DC 6:9.4). If you need a fee waiver or a publication waiver, prepare those forms now too. The clerk cannot give legal advice, so use the instruction sheets or ask Legal Aid of Nebraska for help.
Take the forms and the filing fee (about $144) to the clerk of the district court in your county, or file the fee waiver application instead of paying. You get a case number that goes on every later form.
- Cost
- $144 district court civil filing fee
Set a hearing date[4]
Ask the clerk for the name and phone number of the judge's bailiff and call to schedule the hearing. If you are publishing, schedule it about six weeks after filing so there is time for two weeks of publication and the newspaper's proof.
Fill out the Legal Notice (DC 6:9.2) with your hearing date and send it to a newspaper in your county. It must run once a week for two consecutive weeks; the newspaper files proof of publication with the court. Call first to ask the price.
Then mail a copy of the published notice to everyone who appears to have a legal interest (for example a spouse or creditors) and file the notarized Affidavit of Mailing (DC 6:6.8) before the hearing, within the deadline stated in the instructions.
- Cost
- Varies newspaper publication (two weeks)
Attend the hearing[4]
Bring two copies of the Decree of Name Change (DC 6:9.3) and photo ID. You will testify under oath that the facts in your petition are true and why you want the change. The instruction sheet "Your Adult Name Change Hearing" (DC 6:9a) lists the questions. If the judge grants the change, they sign the decree.
- Form
- DC 6:9.3
Ask the clerk for several certified copies (5 or more is common). You need a certified copy for Social Security, the DMV, your birth certificate, and your passport.
- Cost
- Varies certified copies of the decree
Costs and fee waivers
Can’t afford it? You may not have to pay.[10][3]
You must show the court, in a sworn affidavit, that you cannot afford the costs and have no other reasonable way to pay them. The affidavit asks about income, public benefits, and the number of people you support.
Bring the notarized Affidavit and Application (DC 6:7.1) and the proposed Order (DC 6:7.2) when you file and tell the clerk you are asking to waive fees. A judge decides. The statute allows name changes to proceed in forma pauperis (25-21,273). Ask whether an approved waiver also covers publication costs in your county.
| What | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| District court civil filing fee[6] | $144 | Can be waivedTotal of statutory docket and add-on fees in the Judicial Branch's civil filing-fee schedule. Confirm with your clerk before filing. |
| Newspaper publication (two weeks)[4] | Varies | Varies by vendorSet by each newspaper. Call before filing and have the money ready. Not charged if the judge waives publication. |
| Certified copies of the decree[11] | Varies | Varies by courtAsk the clerk for the per-copy price. |
Free help
Legal clinics, organizations, and funds that help with this.
Legal Aid of Nebraska[12]
Statewide civil legal aid for low-income Nebraskans. Publishes a step-by-step name change guide and form links; apply online or through its AccessLine phone intake (no walk-ins).
Serves: All 93 Nebraska counties
ACLU of Nebraska[13]
Civil liberties organization that tracks LGBTQ rights in Nebraska. Use its online form to report discrimination or request legal help; it takes cases selectively.
OutNebraska[11]
Statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization based in Lincoln. A4TE refers Nebraskans to OutNebraska's resource list for local help.
Trans Lifeline[14]
Peer-support hotline run by and for trans people, 877-565-8860. Has offered microgrants for name change and ID document costs when funding allows.
More detail
Forms9 forms: DC 6:9.1, DC 6:9.4, DC 6:9.5, DC 6:9.6, and more
Open a form for tips on filling it out.
Forms everyone files (3)
DC 6:9.1Petition for Name Change (Adult)Required
How to fill it out
- Item 2: confirm you have lived in the county for more than one year.
- Item 6 ("reasons"): a short, honest reason is enough, for example "I am transgender and this is the name I use in every part of my life. I want my legal name to match." You do not need to describe medical treatment.
- The form requires an email address because self-represented people get court notices by email; check the box if you have none.
- Your date of birth goes on the separate confidential form (DC 6:9.4), not on the petition.
DC 6:9.4Confidential Party Information, Adult Name ChangeRequired
DC 6:9.3Decree of Name Change (bring two copies to the hearing)Required
Forms only some people need (6)
DC 6:9.5Petitioner's Showing and Request for Waiver of PublicationOptional
File with your petition if publishing your old and new names in the newspaper would put you in danger.
How to fill it out
- Explain concretely why publication would endanger you: past harassment, threats, stalking, domestic violence, or the risk of being targeted as a trans person if your old and new names are printed together.
- The form asks you to list supporting documents (police reports, protection orders, screenshots of threats, letters from a counselor or advocate). You must give the court paper copies. You can check "I have no supporting documentation," but a request with documents is more likely to be granted.
- File it together with the petition. Bring the proposed order (DC 6:9.6) too.
DC 6:9.6Order Waiving Publication of Petition to File for Name Change (proposed order for the judge)Sometimes required: Only if you ask for a publication waiver.
DC 6:9.2Legal Notice for Publication (Adult Name Change)Sometimes required: Required unless the judge waives publication.
DC 6:6.8Affidavit of Mailing Published Notice (must be notarized)Sometimes required: Required when you publish notice.
DC 6:7.1Affidavit and Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (fee waiver request)Optional
If you cannot afford the filing fee and costs.
DC 6:7.2Order to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (proposed order)Optional
File with DC 6:7.1.
RequirementsWhere you live, age, criminal record, newspaper notice, hearing, background check, privacy and sealing, timeline
- Where you live
- You must have been a bona fide resident of the county where you file for at least one year before filing.[2][4]
- Age
- 19 or older, or an emancipated or married minor. Otherwise a parent or guardian files for you (see Minors).
- Criminal record
- A criminal record or incarceration does not by itself bar a name change (Nebraska courts have said being an inmate is not a substantial reason to deny one). The clerk sends every name-change order to the State Patrol's sex offender registration division and to DHHS.
- Newspaper publication
- Sometimes.
Notice of the petition must be published in a newspaper in your county once a week for two consecutive weeks (Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-21,271(2), as amended by LB 596, effective July 18, 2026; it was previously longer). There is no automatic exemption for gender-identity name changes.
File the Petitioner's Showing and Request for Waiver of Publication (DC 6:9.5) and proposed order (DC 6:9.6) with your petition. The judge may waive notice "upon a showing by the petitioner that such notice would endanger the petitioner." Attach paper copies of any evidence. The clerk will tell you the decision in writing or by email; if denied, you publish.
[2][4][8] - Court hearing
- Yes.
The statute requires "proof in open court." You must attend and testify briefly under oath.
[2][4] - Background check
- No.
No fingerprints or background check. The clerk sends a copy of the name-change order to DHHS and to the Nebraska State Patrol's sex offender registration division.
[2] - Privacy and sealed records
- Not available.
Nebraska has no statute for sealing a name change file. Your date of birth goes on a confidential form that is not part of the public file, and a publication waiver keeps the change out of the newspaper, but the court case itself is a public record.
[4][2] - How long it takes
About 6 weeks from filing to hearing if you publish; possibly sooner with a publication waiver. Then a few days to get certified copies.
MinorsAnyone under 19 (unless emancipated or married) needs a parent or guardian to file in the district court of the county where the parent and…
Anyone under 19 (unless emancipated or married) needs a parent or guardian to file in the district court of the county where the parent and child have lived for at least one year. The Judicial Branch's child packet (DC 6:11 series) can be used only when the other parent consents, will not contest, or cannot be found. The other parent signs a consent form; a noncustodial parent must be sent notice by certified mail within five days after publication. Publication (two weeks) and the danger-based waiver apply as for adults. The judge decides based on the child's best interests and may consider the child's own reasonable preference. If the other parent will object, talk to a lawyer first.
[5][2][1]After you finishUpdate Social Security first (the DMV expects your SSA record to match).
Update Social Security first (the DMV expects your SSA record to match). Then the DMV within 60 days of the decree, in person, with a certified copy ($16 for a replacement license; state ID cards are free for U.S. citizens). If you were born in Nebraska, send the decree to DHHS Vital Records with the Application for Amendment to change the name on your birth certificate. Then your passport, bank, employer, and voter registration.
Tips3 tips from people who have done this
- If you also want to change the sex on your Nebraska birth certificate, the law requires a court-ordered name change as well as a surgeon's affidavit, so keep a certified copy of your decree for that.
- Local rules differ by district court. Call the clerk before filing to ask about local forms, hearing scheduling, and mail filing.
- Some attorneys offer limited scope representation (help with part of the case only), which costs less than full representation.
Laws and other guides3 laws, 2 other guides
Laws and rules
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-21,270: District court authority to change names
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-21,271: Petition, residency, publication, waiver, hearing
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-21,273: Costs; in forma pauperis
Other trusted guides
- A4TE, Nebraska Identity Documents. Useful overview, undated. Its adult publication period (four weeks) predates LB 596 (2026); the current requirement is two weeks.
- Legal Aid of Nebraska, Name Change Resources
Sources
14 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-21,270, Change of name; authority of district court
“The district court shall have authority to change the names of persons”
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-21,271, Change of name; persons; procedure
“The notice shall be published once a week for two consecutive weeks. ... The court may waive the notice requirement ... upon a showing by the petitioner that such notice would endanger the petitioner. (Laws 2026, LB596, effective July 18, 2026)”
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-21,273, Change of name; costs
“Unless the petitioner is allowed to proceed in forma pauperis ... all proceedings ... shall be at the cost of the petitioner”
- Adult Name Change (self-help)
“Statute requires a Legal Notice of your Petition for Name Change must be published once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in the newspaper”
- Child Name Change (self-help)
“In Nebraska, a "minor" is a child who has not yet turned age 19.”
- Filing Fees and Court Costs
“District courts, civil, category 1, total 144.00”
- DC 6:9.1 Petition for Name Change (Adult), Rev. 08/2023
- DC 6:9.5 Petitioner's Showing and Request for Waiver of Publication
“I believe publishing the notice of Name Change would endanger myself or the party(ies) for whom I have filed the petition because”
- DC 6:9.6 Order Waiving Publication of Petition to File for Name Change
- DC 6:7.1 Affidavit and Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis, Rev. 03/2025
- Nebraska Identity Documents
- Name Change Resources
- Get Help
- Trans Lifeline