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Name Changes for Adults

Before you begin:

Is this page for me? This page is for adult residents of Clark County, Nevada, who want to ask for a name change.
Do I follow these steps to change my name after getting married? Usually not. If the marriage license listed the new name you want to use, or if you are taking your spouse's last name, you do not need to get a court order for a name change because of marriage - you only need a certified copy of your marriage license to change your name. Order this from the county where you were married (if you were married in Clark County, visit Clark County Marriage Records). Show the certified copy to any agencies who need to change your name.
What about changing my gender? The forms on this page will not change the gender. However, you do not need a court order to change the gender marker on your birth certificate if you were born in Nevada. Contact the State of Nevada Vital Records office for information on how to do this.
What laws apply? Learn the basics of the laws that apply to name changes in the Name Change Overview.

Follow these steps to file for an Adult Name Change:

Copy bw 1: Fill out the forms. There are several forms you will have to fill out and sign.

Clerk bw 2: File the forms. Turn in your completed forms to the Clerk of Court online, in person, or by mail.

News 3: Publish the Notice of Petition in a newspaper.

Online bw 4: Turn in the order to the Judge: You must turn in the proposed Order to the judge to review and sign.

Name change 2 bw 5. Get certified copies. You will need a few certified copies of the final order to change your name with different agencies.

Learn more about each step below.

1. Fill out the forms

To open a case you will need to file the forms below, or use the guided online interview to complete them electronically.

Automated Forms Interview with Efile Available!

You can use an automated interview that will complete your forms for you after you answer some questions about what you want to request. To use the automated interview, click here and select the "NAME CHANGE: Adult Name Change" interview. It is best to use Chrome or Firefox (Safari is not recommended and not supported).

At the end of the interview you can efile directly through the program or print/save your forms to file in person.

All of the following documents must be completed to file a name change. Do not skip any documents, or your filing may be rejected by the Court.

Family Court Cover Sheet - always required

This form asks for basic information about you so the Clerk of Court can open your case. You are the Petitioner. Use your current legal name when completing this (and all) forms.

Family Court Cover Sheet (pdf) Family Court Cover Sheet (pdf fillable)

Petition for Change of Name - always required

This form tells the Court about your current legal name, the new name you would like to have, and the reasons why. Include your entire first, middle, and last name where listed.

You must disclose whether you have ever been convicted of a felony and provide details of any felony convictions. If you were convicted of a felony, you must get a copy of your fingerprints to submit to the Court with all your paperwork. You can get fingerprinted by going to any Department of Public Safety site.

Petition for Change of Name (pdf) Petition for Change of Name (pdf fillable)

Notice of Petition for Change of Name - usually required

If you are changing your name for gender identity purposes, you do not have to fill out this form and you do not have to publish anything in the newspaper.

Most adult name changes must be published in a newspaper in Clark County once. This form contains the information that will be published. You can find out how to publish this form below.

Notice of Petition for Change of Name (pdf)

Notice of Petition for Change of Name (pdf fillable)

Request for Summary Disposition & Declaration in Support - always required

This form asks the judge to grant you a name change without you having to appear at a hearing. Most adult name changes are approved without a hearing.

Request for Summary Disposition & Declaration in Support (pdf)

Request for Summary Disposition & Declaration in Support (pdf fillable)

Order for Name Change - always required

This is the form the judge signs to grant your name change. Although this will not be needed until the last step, it is a good idea to fill it out ahead of time and save it for later. This will be turned into the judge after you have finished all of the rest of the steps. Complete all sections on the form except for the date and signature line for the judge.

Order for Change of Name (pdf) Order for Change of Name (pdf fillable)

2. File the forms

If you have ever been convicted of a felony, you will have to get your fingerprints to submit to the court with all your forms. You can get fingerprinted at Metro or any other police station.

The court charges $270 to file the papers. You can pay by cash, money order, or most major credit/debit cards. If you cannot afford the fee, please see Filing Fees and Waivers to find out how to ask the court to waive the fee.

You can file your papers one of these ways:

Online: You can file online through the court's e-filing system, eFileNV. There is a fee of $3.50 to upload your documents, in addition to the regular filing fee. You must register for an account, you must provide a valid email address, and you must be able to scan and upload your documents as separate pdfs. Do not upload one pdf with all of the forms included - this will significantly delay the processing. Each form needs to be filed as its own pdf, but you can upload all of them in one submission. Do not efile the order, it will be submitted later. Carefully follow the E-Filing Guide to avoid mistakes.
E-Filing Guide
In person at the Family Courthouse (check our How to File page for hours and more information).
By Mail: (mail takes about 6-8 weeks to process) Mail your forms and the filing fee (with check or money order made out to Clerk of Court) to:

Family Courts and Services Center
Attn: Clerk of Court
601 North Pecos Road
Las Vegas, NV 89101

3. Publish the Notice of Petition in a newspaper

*Skip this step if you are changing your name for gender identity purposes.*

The Notice of Petition for Change of Name must be published one time in a Clark County newspaper. Contact a newspaper to arrange for publication. The popular newspapers who can publish the notice are:

Las Vegas Review-Journal: (702) 383-0320
Nevada Legal News: (702) 382-2747

After publication is complete, the newspaper will prepare an "Affidavit of Publication." This document must be filed with the court as proof that publication was completed. Usually, the newspaper sends this document directly to the court for filing. If the newspaper does not, contact the newspaper to obtain the affidavit and file it yourself.

FYI!

If you feel that your personal safety would be at risk if the Notice of Petition for Change of Name were published in a newspaper, you can ask the judge to waive the publication requirement and seal your case. Waivers are only granted in rare circumstances. To ask the judge to waive the publication requirement and seal your case, complete the Publication Waiver packet and follow all of the included instructions.

4. Submit the Order to the judge

Do not do this step until 10 days after the date the notice was published.

You must turn in a final name change order to your assigned department to review. If you do not know what department your case was assigned to, you can look it up here: https://www.clarkcountycourts.us/Portal/.

If you did not already fill out the name change order when you filled out your other paperwork, complete the form now.

Order for Change of Name (pdf fillable)

Email your proposed order in a pdf format to your assigned judge.

The subject line of your email should read: [case number] - OCON - [your last name]
For instance: D-24-123456-N - OCON - Smith

Check the Department Letter assigned to your case and email it to the correct email below:

If you cannot email it, you can bring it to the court in person or you can mail it to 601 N. Pecos, Las Vegas, NV 89101 (mail takes 4-6 weeks to process).

The judge will review the order and sign it if approved. You will receive the order back by mail or through email if you registered for eservice in your efiling account.

5. Get certified copies.

Your name will not change with any agency until you provide them with a certified copy of the final name change order.

You can order certified copies for a small fee from the Clerk of Court's Records Department. You can order online, or visit in person for immediate assistance at the Family Court, 601N Pecos Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89101 during regular business hours M-F 8am-4pm.

You should get 3-4 certified copies to make sure you have enough for every agency who will need one. Change your name first with Social Security, then with the DMV. Once those are complete, you should be able to change your name with any other entity you wish.

If your order includes a request for a new birth certificate with your new name, you will need to contact the vital records department where you were born to find out their requirements. If you were born in Nevada, please see the Nevada Office of Vital Statistics to find out how to get your birth certificate changed.

Name Changes for Adults