#legal name change

[deadeyedfae]

Ever been denied your identity on a governmental level even after jumping through all thier hoops?

[obelisart]

The Recloseted Lesbian. Teacher's Name

[hygmoss]

hey guys...! i need a lil bit of help...

If you're interested... here's the link to my ko-fi and my commission's forms!

also my commission info (with price list!!)

[lemony-ink]

[rummageraccoon]

YALL I HOPEFULLY AM GOING TO START THE PROCESS TO LEGALLY CHANGE MY NAME TEUSDAY IM GONNA CRY IM SO EXCITED AAAAAAAAAAAA

[1o1percentmilk]

i forgot to post!! i got my name changed (transgender) the other day!! explanation of the process below the readmore but all in all it was pretty easy. The hard part is actually changing all of my identification documents, which is the cause of my headache right now!!

So: legal name change. I'm in Washington State in the U.S., adult, I've been out and on HRT (testosterone) for about 3.5 years now. My voice doesn't exactly match my name, and I kept running into silly issues where people from health insurance would call me and get confused because of the name, so I thought it was about time to correct that issue.

The form (a petition and a court order) was available online. I opted for a sealed name change, which is when the record saying "there's been a change" is sealed from the public's knowledge. There are more stringent requirements for this from the unsealed name change, which doesn't have that protection. TBH, it's also a good option, I just opted for the sealed one because for Washington State, one of the qualifying criteria for a sealed name change is "relation to gender expression and/or identity," which was perfect for me!

The sealed form and the unsealed form are both generally available online. For the sealed name change, it's filed through superior court which is above district court, and superior court seems to be the same throughout all counties in the state (at least the form is). For the unsealed form, this is dependent on the district court, such as King County District Court, but the forms should be available somewhere on their website.

[ID: a photo of a seal animal.]

Anyways, I printed out the form and filled out both the petition and the order. They tell you what to put down, so it is not very difficult.

After that, I took the form, and the filing fee (it was $240 for JUST a filing fee - for the unsealed case, you pay an auditing fee of ~$250, but no filing fee), to the county clerk, to open the case. The filing part involves the petition. The court part involves the court order.

(Also, there is a waiver for the filing fee, in case you cannot pay for it, but I didn't want to deal with providing proof that I couldn't pay it and I had enough money on hand.)

I was able to close the case in the same day. Sealed cases are done through Ex Parte court (it's pronounces Ecks ParTAY which I thought was funny), which was open first-come, first-serve, during their work hours. I didn't even see the judge, I just signed in on a clipboard, someone took my order to a back room, and when I got it back, it was approved and signed by the judge! That pretty much meant it was my new legal name!

One last step - I took the signed order back to the county clerk to purchase certified copies of the order. These are needed to change ID documents like Social Security, Driver's License, Passport, etc. If you are doing a sealed order, it is recommended you purchase extra copies, because if you need them later on, you need to prove your identity to get them. I got like 8 (realizing now that's kind of overkill) and left the courthouse.

That's about it! I put as much detail as I was comfortable with in the case that reading about the experience in full helps someone else - personally, looking at the form and the instructions on my district's website did not really help until I got there, and got a little lost talking to the county help desk and such. Here's a quick reminder that this was for Washington State - processes for different areas are definitely different and I'm really lucky to live in a state where transgender people are recognized and protected legally. If you have any questions, DM or drop an ask in my ask box!

[thefoolwithin]

My name change hearing is on the 24th of this month! What the fuck!!! Yippeee! Yippeee! I was expecting it to be next month. I'm so elated. What the fuck! What the fuck! Your boy is going to be dapper as hell. :33333

[profmeowmers]

for anyone in portland who is trying to change their name before next year

[arquaticdreamer]

Well everyone the name change added to pretty much everywhere is official. I finally have my social security and birth certificate with my new legal name!!!! Wooooot!!! No more Deadname BABBYYY!! My ab**ers and stalkers will never find me again.

[supercoolsuperqueer]

I'm applying for my legal name change in january and it's STRESSING me outtttte!!!!! Like... what if i fuck up and miss a document........

[kaiaden]

My Legal Name

so I actually plan on legally changing my first and last name because I don’t want to be associated with my parents all that much when I’m older, (they are heavily racist, slightly misogynistic, and my dad is homophobic) so just like my first name, I’m planning on changing my last name.

first name: Kaiaden (you know the reason why if you’ve seen my blog)

Last name: Smith

many people have the last name, and it’s totally not for outside reasons that I will not share

totally

Did anyone else just have Kai as their favorite character when they were younger (or if you still do) because you love his name? No? Just me?

totally has nothing to do with my post. It’s just a silly question

hehe

[yourtransfemboy]

Okay guys, girls, and other monsters in the dark.

I need help choosing a name

[writer-and-thrasher]

Need some advice from other trans folks (or anyone if you have an opinion)

I'm needing to create a new personal / more professional email account, but my name complicates that a little. I want to change my name, but I'm only changing my middle name to my preferred name. So it would look like

First Name, Preferred Name, Last Name

I still don't want people to call me by my first name. So, what should my email be?

First letter indicates name (First, Preferred, Last)

Second indicates Initial vs Full Name

[benegesseritofficial]

If you're changing your name in the United States this is everything you need to do in priority order. List courtesy of my local city hall. The legal documents will cost money, everything else should not

[sensible-tips]

Transition Tuesday

Everything you'll need to updated after a legal name change. Ordered in from major to minor.

[orthopunkfox]

A year ago today, on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, two saints known for changing their names to fit new identities, I gained the legal right to define myself with a name ane gender marker that I had been using for over a year. With the stroke of the judge's pen, the little boy who kept me alive through years of abuse and trauma could finally rest in peace.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, she is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold all things have become new. -Excerpt from Saint Paul's 2nd letter to the Church in Corinth