How Do You Change Your Name in Florida?

The Florida rule in one table

What makes Florida different

Florida is the wait-for-the-check state: unlike Texas, where you mail the card yourself, Florida routes you through an authorized Livescan provider after filing and the results go to the clerk, never to you — and the hearing cannot happen until they arrive. That ordering matters: file first, then get fingerprinted on the clerk's direction, not before.

The other Florida shortcut is worth knowing before you file at all. If you are restoring a former name, you are exempt from the fingerprinting and background check requirement, and a name change incident to a dissolution or adoption is handled inside that case under § 68.07(9) rather than by standalone petition. A marriage certificate likewise serves as its own name-change document with no petition needed.

The process, step by step

1. Check whether you need a petition at all. A marriage certificate works directly for updating your records, and a name restoration belongs inside a divorce judgment. Only a standalone change needs the circuit-court petition.
2. File the petition. The circuit court of the county where you live, under Florida Statutes § 68.07, using Petition 12.982(a). Approximately $400 — most clerks charge $401 — varying by county, with fingerprinting and certified copies charged separately. Confirm the exact fee with your clerk before filing.
3. Complete Livescan fingerprinting. Yes — the court may not hold a hearing until the clerk receives the FDLE/FBI records-check results, except when you are restoring a former name. File first, then the clerk directs you to an authorized Livescan provider; results go to the clerk, never to you.
4. Attend the hearing and get the Final Judgment. Once the records check is in, the court hears the petition and, if granted, signs the Final Judgment of Name Change (form 12.982(b)).
5. Get certified copies and update your records. Order certified copies of the judgment, then update your Social Security record, driver license, passport, and other accounts — each agency wants its own copy.

Comparing states — because the state across the border plays by different rules — the Name Change Laws by State directory puts all seven side by side.

Changing your name in another state

Changing your name in another state? See How to Change Your Name in New York and How to Change Your Name in Washington.

Source

Fees, forms, and fingerprint rules on this page come from the statute and court clerk materials: Florida Statutes § 68.07 (2006 bill text restating the section), Alachua County Clerk Name Change Packet (filing fee $400). Facts verified 2026-10-24.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice — for a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your state court.