Trans Resource Navigator

Legal name change in Wyoming

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

Adults who have lived in Wyoming for six months can change their name in district court, but you must publish your old and new names in a local newspaper once a week for four weeks and then wait 30 days. Publication can be skipped only if the court grants confidentiality because you are a victim of domestic abuse.

Main cost
$160, can be waived
Apply
In person
Typical wait
about 8 weeks

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

You file a Petition and Affidavit for Change of Name of an Adult (form NCA 06) with the Clerk of District Court in the county where you live now. The judge can grant the change if it is "proper and not detrimental to the interests of any other person" (W.S. 1-25-101). Gender identity is a valid reason; you write your own reason in plain words.

The hard part is publication: unless the court grants confidentiality (available only for domestic abuse victims), you must run a notice with your current and new names in a local newspaper once a week for four weeks, pay the newspaper, file its affidavit of publication, and wait 30 days for objections. Plan on roughly two to three months and a few hundred dollars beyond the $160 filing fee. Free legal help is available from Legal Aid of Wyoming.

Steps

  1. Make sure you have lived in Wyoming six months[1][3]

    If you have not lived in Wyoming for the last six months in a row, the court cannot grant the change yet. Download the full adult packet (NCA 01 to NCA 15) from the Wyoming Judicial Branch self-help forms page and read NCA 01, the overview.

  2. Fill out the petition and sign it before a notary or the clerk[3][5]

    Complete NCA 06. Banks and libraries often notarize for free. If you cannot pay the filing fee, also fill out MISC 11 and the top of MISC 12.

  3. File with the Clerk of District Court in your county[2][3]

    Pay the $160 filing fee or hand in your fee waiver request. Copies at the clerk's office cost about $1 per page, so bring your own copies. If you are asking for confidentiality, file NCA 07 (and NCA 08 if you have no current protection order) with a blank NCA 09 at the same time.

    Cost
    $160 district court filing fee (includes one certified copy of the order)

  4. Publish the notice for four weeks, then wait 30 days[3][1]

    File NCA 10 with the clerk (unsigned; the clerk signs it). Take the filed notice to a newspaper that publishes at least weekly in your county and pay its fee. The notice runs once a week for four weeks in a row. The newspaper then sends you an Affidavit of Publisher: file it with the clerk. Wait 30 days after the last publication for any objection.

    Call two or three newspapers first and compare prices; costs vary a lot.

    Form
    NCA 10
    Cost
    Varies newspaper publication (four weekly notices)
    Time
    about 8 weeks

  5. Ask the court to finish the case[3]

    File NCA 11 with a Notice of Hearing (NCA 12) and a proposed Order (NCA 13), tops filled in. The judge may sign the order without a hearing or set a short hearing. If you get a notice of hearing, go; you do not need a lawyer unless someone objected.

  6. Get certified copies of the order[2]

    The filing fee includes one certified copy of the order. Ask the clerk for two or three more; the statutory charge is $1 for the first page, 50 cents for each extra page, and 50 cents per certificate.

    Cost
    $1.50+ extra certified copies (per page plus certificate)

Costs and fee waivers

Can’t afford it? You may not have to pay.[5]

There is no fixed income cutoff. You fill out a detailed financial affidavit under oath and a judge decides whether you can afford the fees. The judge does not have to explain the decision.

File MISC 11 (Affidavit of Indigency and Request for Waiver of Fees) and a blank MISC 12 (Order) with your petition. If denied, you must pay before the case goes forward. The forms do not say whether newspaper costs are covered; assume they are not.

MISC 11

WhatCostNotes
District court filing fee (includes one certified copy of the order)[2][4]$160Can be waivedSet by W.S. 5-3-206(a)(i) for all civil actions. The court website says to confirm the total with your county clerk.
Newspaper publication (four weekly notices)[4]VariesVaries by vendorSet by each newspaper. The court's FAQ warns some papers charge several hundred dollars. Not charged if the court grants confidentiality.
Extra certified copies (per page plus certificate)[2]$1.50+$1 first page, $0.50 each additional page, plus $0.50 per certificate and seal.

Free help

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

More detail

Forms6 forms: NCA 06, NCA 07, NCA 10, NCA 11, and more

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

Forms everyone files (3)

NCA 06Petition and Affidavit for Change of Name of an AdultRequired

How to fill it out

  • Section 5 (reason): write an honest, short reason, for example "to match my gender identity and the name I use every day." No medical letter is needed.
  • Section 9 (only if born in Wyoming): choose whether a future birth certificate should be amended (old and new names both shown) or reissued (old name removed). If you choose reissue, write why it matters to you (for example, safety and privacy). This choice affects only the name, not the sex field.
  • Section 11: if you are a domestic abuse victim and will ask for confidentiality, check the first box and do not write your address on the form.
  • Section 14: choose whether you will publish or ask for confidentiality.
  • Do not sign until you are in front of the clerk or a notary.

Open NCA 06[3]

NCA 11Request to Set Hearing on Name ChangeRequired

Filed at the end to tell the court the case is ready. Bring a Notice of Hearing (NCA 12) and a proposed Order (NCA 13) with the top filled in.

Open NCA 11[3]

NCA 13Order on Name Change, adultRequired

Fill in only the top; the judge completes it.

Open NCA 13[3]

Forms only some people need (3)

NCA 07Motion for Grant of Confidentiality (with NCA 08 Affidavit and NCA 09 Order)Sometimes required: Only if you are a victim of domestic abuse.

Only if you are a victim of domestic abuse. If granted, your address stays confidential and you skip newspaper publication.

Open NCA 07[3]

NCA 10Notice by PublicationSometimes required: Required unless the court grants confidentiality.

Required unless the court grants confidentiality. Fill it in but do not sign; the clerk signs it.

Open NCA 10[3]

MISC 11Affidavit of Indigency and Request for Waiver of Fees (with MISC 12 Order)Optional

Only if you cannot afford the filing fee. There is no fee to file it.

Open MISC 11[5]

RequirementsWhere you live, age, criminal record, newspaper notice, hearing, background check, privacy and sealing, timeline
Where you live
You must have lived in Wyoming for at least six months immediately before filing (W.S. 1-25-102). File in the district court of the county where you live now; you do not need six months in that county.[1][3][4]
Age
18 or older for the adult forms. A minor's name change is filed by a parent, guardian, or other adult "next friend" with the NCM forms.
Criminal record
There is no fingerprinting requirement. The court will deny a change meant to avoid debts, judgments, or legal actions, or for fraud.
Newspaper publication
Sometimes.

Notice must be published "in the same manner as service by publication upon nonresidents in civil actions" (W.S. 1-25-103): once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper in your county, followed by a 30-day wait. The only exception for adults is a court confidentiality order under W.S. 35-21-112 or another order protecting your address, which the court forms offer only to domestic abuse victims. There is no exception for gender identity or general safety concerns.

File NCA 07 (Motion for Grant of Confidentiality) with a copy of your protection order, or with NCA 08 (Affidavit) describing the abuse if you have no current order. If the court grants it, you skip publication.

[1][3]
Court hearing
Sometimes.

A hearing is required if someone objects. Otherwise the judge may sign the order without one or may choose to hold one; you ask for it with NCA 11.

[3]
Background check
No.

No fingerprints or background check. You swear under penalty of perjury that the change is proper and not harmful to anyone.

[3]
Privacy and sealed records
Not available.

The case record is public, and the newspaper notice shows both names. Only your address, city, and state of residence can be kept confidential, and only through a domestic-abuse confidentiality order (W.S. 1-25-101, 1-25-103). There is no sealing procedure for gender-identity name changes.

[1][3]
How long it takes

About 2 to 3 months from filing to a signed order when publication is required (four weeks of notices plus a 30-day waiting period, plus court time).

MinorsA parent, guardian, or other adult "next friend" files NCA/NCM forms for the child (NCM 08 petition, NCM 28 order).

A parent, guardian, or other adult "next friend" files NCA/NCM forms for the child (NCM 08 petition, NCM 28 order). The child must have lived in Wyoming six months. Every legal parent or guardian must either sign the petition, sign a Consent of Parent, or be formally served with a summons and given the chance to object. If all parents and guardians sign the petition, newspaper publication is not required (W.S. 1-25-103); otherwise the petitioner can ask the court to waive publication for good cause (NCM 15 motion, NCM 16 order).

[1][6]
After you finishStart with Social Security (free; bring the certified order and photo ID).

Start with Social Security (free; bring the certified order and photo ID). The name changes; the sex field currently cannot be changed. WYDOT requires your new name to match SSA before it issues a new card. Then the driver's license or ID (in person, standard renewal fee; see the driver's license guide). If you were born in Wyoming, send the certified order to Vital Records Services to update the name on your birth certificate ($55; see the birth certificate guide). Then your passport (name changes are processed; sex marker changes are not, as of September 2026), voter registration with your county clerk, bank, employer, insurance, and school records.

Tips3 tips from people who have done this
  • Call the newspaper before filing to ask the price for four weekly legal notices; smaller weekly papers in your county may be cheaper.
  • Court clerks cannot fill out forms for you, but Legal Aid of Wyoming (1-877-432-9955) and Wyoming Free Legal Answers can. Wyoming Equality also helps with name change paperwork.
  • If you were born in Wyoming and do not want your old name on your birth certificate, choose the "reissued" option in Section 9 of the petition and explain why.
Laws and other guides2 laws, 2 other guides

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

9 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Wyoming Statutes Title 1, Chapter 25, Change of Name (W.S. 1-25-101 to 1-25-104)Wyoming Legislature, Law. accessed
    “A person petitioning for a change of name shall have been a bona fide resident of Wyoming for at least six (6) months immediately preceding filing the petition.”
  2. W.S. 5-3-206, District court clerk feesWyoming Legislature, Law. accessed
    “an original filing fee of one hundred sixty dollars ($160.00), which shall be paid by the plaintiff”
  3. Full Packet, Adult Name Change (NCA forms 01 to 15, revised November 2025)Wyoming Judicial Branch, Form. accessed
    “The notice must be published once a week for four weeks and, after that, you must wait 30 days to see if anyone responds.”
  4. Adult Name Change, common questions and formsWyoming Judicial Branch, Official page. accessed
    “Filing fees depend on the county where you are filing. ... This fee may be substantial (some papers charge several hundred dollars).”
  5. MISC 10, Instructions for Waiver of FeesWyoming Judicial Branch, Form. accessed
    “There is no fee to file this Affidavit.”
  6. NCM 01, Overview of the Process for a Minor Child Name ChangeWyoming Judicial Branch, Form. accessed
  7. Legal Aid of WyomingOrganization. accessed
  8. Learn about document changesWyoming Equality, Organization. accessed
  9. GenderbandsOrganization. accessed