Trans Resource Navigator

Legal name change in New Jersey

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.
Possible

New Jersey adults can change their name by filing a petition in the Superior Court in their county. There is no newspaper publication, the court record is not public, and no medical information is needed. You usually attend one short hearing. Filing costs $250 (a fee waiver is available).

Main cost
$250, can be waived
Apply
Online, by mail, 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

New Jersey uses one court process for every adult name change (N.J.S.A. 2A:52-1 and Court Rule 4:72). You fill in the Judiciary's free self-help kit (CN 10551), file it with the Law Division, Civil Part of the Superior Court in the county where you live, and pay $250. The court gives you a hearing date at least 30 days out, you mail a notice to the state Division of Criminal Justice, and the judge signs a Final Judgment at the hearing.

Since November 2020 you never publish your name in a newspaper, and since September 2021 all name change records are excluded from public access. You do not need to give any medical information or say you are trans; "this is the name I use" is enough.

Changing your gender marker is a separate, no-court process in New Jersey: see the driver's license and birth certificate guides.

Steps

  1. Fill out the adult name change kit[1]

    Download CN 10551 and complete Forms A, A1, B, C, and C1, plus the Civil Case Information Statement (case type 151). Type or print on plain 8.5 x 11 white paper. Make one copy of everything for yourself.

  2. Ask for a fee waiver if you qualify[5]

    Optional

    If your household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level and you have no more than $2,500 in cash or bank accounts, fill out CN 11208 and file it with your papers instead of paying.

  3. File with the Superior Court, Civil Part, in your county[1]

    File online through the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission system (JEDS), by mail, or by delivering the papers to the Civil Division in your county. By mail or delivery, send the originals plus one copy, a check or money order for $250 payable to "Treasurer, State of New Jersey" (or your fee waiver), and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

    Cost
    $250 superior Court filing fee (covers all adult family members on one petition)

  4. Mail the hearing order to the Division of Criminal Justice[1][3]

    The court returns your papers with a docket number and a hearing date (at least 30 days away). At least 20 days before the hearing, send a copy of the Order Fixing Date of Hearing by both regular and certified mail, return receipt requested to: Director, Division of Criminal Justice, ATTN: Records and Identification Section, R. J. Hughes Justice Complex, 25 Market Street, P.O. Box 085, Trenton, NJ 08625-0085. If you have pending charges, also send the complaint and Form A1, and send the same papers to the county prosecutor. When the green card comes back, file Form D (Proof of Mailing) with the court.

  5. Go to your hearing[1][3][4]

    Bring proof of your current name (a photo ID). The judge may ask routine questions, such as whether you are trying to avoid debts or prosecution. You do not have to share medical information. If the judge is satisfied there is no reasonable objection, they sign the Final Judgment, which takes effect on a date at least 30 days later.

  6. Order certified copies of the Final Judgment[1][4]

    Order at least 3 certified copies with a raised seal, each with the Final Judgment Addendum attached ($25 each; request through JEDS). Photocopies are not accepted by the MVC, Social Security, or Vital Records.

    Cost
    $25 certified copy of the Final Judgment with raised seal (each)

  7. File the judgment with the NJ Treasury within 45 days[1]

    Within 45 days of the judgment, mail one certified copy (with the Addendum), a $50 check or money order payable to "Treasurer, State of New Jersey", and a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Department of Treasury, Division of Revenue, Judgment Name Change Unit, P.O. Box 453, Trenton, NJ 08646.

    Cost
    $50 department of Treasury filing fee for the judgment

  8. Update your other documents[1][4]

    1. Social Security first (free; bring a certified copy and photo ID).
    2. NJ MVC license or ID, in person, within two weeks after the effective date in your judgment (see the driver's license guide).
    3. Birth certificate: if born in New Jersey, send a certified copy with form REG-L2 (or the name-change request) to Vital Records; $2 to register the name change. Born elsewhere: 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.[5]

Both must be true:

  • Your household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level for your household size.
  • You have no more than $2,500 in liquid assets (cash, bank accounts).

File CN 11208 with your name change papers, with six months of bank statements. Note that fee waiver applications are generally public records, unlike the name change file itself.

CN 11208

WhatCostNotes
Superior Court filing fee (covers all adult family members on one petition)[1][4]$250Can be waived
Certified copy of the Final Judgment with raised seal (each)[1][4]$25
Department of Treasury filing fee for the judgment[1][4]$50Due within 45 days of the judgment. The NJ Transgender Hub notes pending legislation may waive this fee.

Free help

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

More detail

Forms4 forms: CN 10551, CIS, CN 11208, CN 10552

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

Forms everyone files (2)

CN 10551How to Ask the Court to Change Your Name, Adults Only (kit with Forms A, A1, B, C, C1, D)Required

How to fill it out

  • Form A, Verified Complaint: item 10 asks why you want the change. A short answer such as "This is the name I use and am known by" is enough. You do not have to mention gender, transition, or any medical information.
  • Item 7: list convictions or pending charges honestly. Item 8: check "is not" being made to avoid creditors or prosecution.
  • Form A1 holds your Social Security number so it stays out of the main file.
  • Forms B, C, C1: fill in your names only; the court completes the dates. The effective date on Form C is set by the judge at least 30 days after the judgment.
  • Form D, Proof of Mailing: fill in after you mail the hearing order to the Division of Criminal Justice, and attach the green certified-mail card.

Open CN 10551[1][4]

CISCivil Case Information Statement (self-represented version)Required

Required with every new civil filing. The case type number for a name change is 151. Download it from the Judiciary's Self-Help Center.

Open CIS[1]

Forms only some people need (2)

CN 11208Filing Fee Waiver applicationOptional

Only if you cannot afford the $250 filing fee. See the fee waiver section.

How to fill it out

  • List household size, all income, and liquid assets (cash, bank accounts).
  • Attach six months of bank statements for any checking or savings account.
  • File it at the same time as your name change papers.

Open CN 11208[5]

CN 10552How to Ask the Court to Change a Name in the Chancery Division, Family Part (minors)Sometimes required: Only for a child under 18, or for a parent changing their own name at the same time as…

Only for a child under 18, or for a parent changing their own name at the same time as their child's.

Open CN 10552[2]

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 New Jersey county where you live.[1]
Age
18 or older for the adult (Civil Part) kit. Children under 18 use the Family Part kit; see Minors.
Criminal record
You must list any criminal convictions and pending charges on the Verified Complaint. A record does not bar a name change, but if charges are pending you must also mail notice to the prosecutor handling them.
Newspaper publication
No.

The New Jersey Supreme Court eliminated newspaper publication of both the notice of application and the judgment for all name changes, adults and minors, by order of November 17, 2020 (amendments to R. 4:72-3 and 4:72-4, effective immediately). The Court cited the safety and privacy of transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary people.

[3]
Court hearing
Yes.

The court sets a hearing at least 30 days after it signs the Order Fixing Date of Hearing. Under R. 4:72-4 the judge may decide "from the filed papers, with or without oral testimony", but the Judiciary kit and the state's Transgender Hub both tell you to appear. Expect a short hearing.

[3][1][4]
Background check
No.

No fingerprints. You must mail the hearing order to the Division of Criminal Justice, Records and Identification Section, at least 20 days before the hearing, and disclose convictions and pending charges on the complaint. If you have a conviction or pending charges, the clerk sends the judgment to the State Bureau of Identification.

[1][3]
Privacy and sealed records
Available.

Since September 1, 2021, Court Rule 1:38-3 excludes all records in name change actions from public access, a change adopted to protect transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary people. Your Social Security number goes on separate confidential forms (A1 and C1). Separately, Executive Order 311 (2022) makes name change orders filed with the Department of Treasury confidential and exempt from the Open Public Records Act.

Nothing to do; confidentiality is automatic. The fee waiver application is the exception and may be public.

[4][6]
How long it takes

Plan on roughly two to three months. The hearing is at least 30 days after filing is processed, and the new name takes effect at least 30 days after the judgment. Then allow a few weeks for certified copies and updates.

MinorsA parent or guardian files in the Chancery Division, Family Part using kit CN 10552 ($250 filing fee; one fee covers a parent and child…

A parent or guardian files in the Chancery Division, Family Part using kit CN 10552 ($250 filing fee; one fee covers a parent and child filed together). The steps match the adult process (Division of Criminal Justice notice, hearing, certified copies, Treasury filing). If the child's other parent does not live with you, you must mail the Verified Complaint and the hearing order to that parent's last known address by regular and certified mail, return receipt requested, so they can object at the hearing. If there is an active restraining order with the other parent, contact the Family Court for instructions. Records are confidential and there is no publication.

[2][3]
After you finishOn or after the effective date in your judgment: update Social Security (free), then the MVC in person within two weeks ($11 duplicate fee;…

On or after the effective date in your judgment: update Social Security (free), then the MVC in person within two weeks ($11 duplicate fee; bring a certified copy and your 6 points of ID). Mail the Treasury copy with $50 within 45 days of the judgment. If you were born in New Jersey, send Vital Records a certified copy with form REG-L2 to update your birth certificate (name and, if you want, gender at the same time). Then your passport (name changes are processed; sex marker changes are not, as of September 2026), bank, employer, insurance, and voter registration.

Tips3 tips from people who have done this
  • The judge cannot require medical documentation. If asked a private question, you can say the new name is the name you use and decline to say more.
  • Watch the two deadlines after the hearing, 45 days for Treasury and two weeks after the effective date for the MVC.
  • One $250 fee covers several adult family members on the same petition.
Laws and other guides3 laws, 2 other guides

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

10 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. CN 10551, How to Ask the Court to Change Your Name, Adults Only (revised February 8, 2021)New Jersey Courts, Form. accessed
    “Complete the attached forms and a Civil Case Information Statement and send them to the court with a $250 filing fee.”
  2. CN 10552, How to Ask the Court to Change a Name in the Chancery Division, Family Part (revised June 11, 2021)New Jersey Courts (copy hosted by the NJ Transgender Information Hub), Form. accessed
    “If you are changing the name of a child who is under the age of 18 years and the child's other parent does not reside with you, you must send a copy of the Verified Complaint and the Order Fixing Date for Hearing to the last known address of the child's other parent.”
  3. Notice and Order, Name Change Applications, Elimination of the Requirement of Newspaper Publication (Amendments to R. 4:72-3 and 4:72-4)Supreme Court of New Jersey, Court. accessed
    “The Supreme Court has amended Rule 4:72-3 and 4:72-4 so as to eliminate the requirement of newspaper publication of the notice of application and judgment granting a name change.”
  4. Step-by-step guide to changing your legal nameState of New Jersey, Transgender Information Hub, Official page. accessed
    “In 2021, the NJ Supreme Court ordered that all records of name changes be excluded from public access to respect the rights and privacy of transgender individuals.”
  5. Court Fees and Fee WaiversNew Jersey Courts, Official page. accessed
    “Have income at or below 150 percent of the current poverty level ... Have no more than $2,500 in liquid assets such as cash or bank accounts.”
  6. Executive Order No. 311 (2022)Office of the Governor of New Jersey, Official page. accessed
  7. Name Change ProjectGarden State Equality, Organization. accessed
  8. New Jersey identity documentsAdvocates for Trans Equality, Organization. accessed
    “Our Name Change Project also connects low-income transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people in several counties in New Jersey with legal representation for their name changes.”
  9. Trans LifelineOrganization. accessed