How Do You Change Your Name in Illinois?
Petition the circuit court of the county where you live. You must have lived in Illinois for 3 months by the time of the hearing or the order. One step that older guides still list is gone: newspaper publication was repealed effective March 1, 2025, so do not publish and do not file a motion to waive publication as the standard step. The rule is the Code of Civil Procedure, 735 ILCS 5, article 21.
The Illinois rule in one table
| Question | Illinois rule |
|---|---|
| Governing statute | Code of Civil Procedure, 735 ILCS 5, article 21, section 21-101 |
| Where to file | Petition in the circuit court of the county where you reside |
| Residence requirement | 3 months in Illinois at the time of the hearing or entry of the order |
| Publication | No longer required. Former section 21-103 was repealed effective March 1, 2025 |
| Court action | If conditions are met and no reason to deny exists, the court enters an order directing the name change as prayed (section 21-101(d)) |
| Spouse and children | A petitioner may include a spouse and adult unmarried children with consent, and minor children where in their best interest |
| Impound option | Section 21-103.8 allows a motion to impound the file on a verified statement that public disclosure would cause hardship or a negative health or safety impact |
| Who cannot petition | Persons required to register under the sex offender, murderer and violent offender against youth, or arsonist registry acts during the registration period, with narrow exceptions, and persons whose felony sentence has not been completed, terminated, or discharged, unless pardoned |
What makes Illinois different
The repeal is the story. Until March 1, 2025, Illinois required newspaper publication for three consecutive weeks, with the first insertion at least six weeks before the hearing, and the standard paperwork included a motion to waive publication for petitioners who needed privacy. Public Act 103-1063 repealed section 21-103 outright. Any guide that still instructs publication, or a waiver motion, as the standard Illinois step is pre-2025 and stale. Do not follow it, and do not pay for a newspaper notice the statute no longer asks for.
The replacement privacy mechanism is impoundment, not publication. Under section 21-103.8, a petitioner may move to impound the court file on a verified statement that public disclosure would be a hardship or a negative health or safety impact. If impoundment is granted, the change must still be reported to the Illinois State Police for criminal-history and offender-record updates, as section 21-101(d) requires.
The residence rule is also stricter than it looks. The 3 months must be satisfied at the time of the hearing or the entry of the order, not merely at filing. If you moved to Illinois recently, count forward to the hearing date before you file.
The process, step by step
- Confirm 3 months of Illinois residence by the hearing date. The petition goes to the circuit court of the county where you reside.
- File the petition with the statewide standardized forms. The petition may include a spouse and adult unmarried children with consent, and minor children where the change is in their best interest. A minor's order requires clear-and-convincing best-interest findings.
- Skip publication. Do not publish a newspaper notice and do not file a waiver motion as the standard step. If privacy is a genuine concern, consider a motion to impound under section 21-103.8 instead.
- Attend the hearing and get the order. If the conditions are met and no reason to deny exists, the court enters an order directing the name change as prayed.
- Update your records with a certified copy of the order. The court order is the legal name change itself. The Social Security card, Illinois driver's license or ID, passport, and other records are separate updates you then make with a certified copy. Start with the records that gate the others, and keep certified copies for every agency that asks.
After a name change, update the records that carry your old name: your vehicle title and your registration record. See How to Transfer a Car Title in Illinois and How to Renew Vehicle Registration in Illinois.
For name changes in the other seven states, see the Name Change Laws by State directory.
Source
Process and repeal on this page come from the statute: Illinois General Assembly, 735 ILCS 5/21-101 and Public Act 103-1063, repealing section 21-103 effective March 1, 2025. Facts verified 2026-10-25.
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 agency.
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