Identity Document Laws and Policies: Name Change
Many transgender people choose to change their legal name to match the name and gender they live every day. Name change policies control the process by which an individual can change their legal name on identity documents.
While state laws generally allow individuals to change their name for any non-criminal purpose, many states maintain outdated and burdensome requirements that create substantial barriers to achieving a legal name change. One of the most common and most problematic legal name change requirements throughout state laws is a requirement that a person publicize his or her name change. Many states require that applicants must publish notice at the local courthouse or in the newspaper sharing that they filed a petition requesting a legal name change. Another significant barrier exists in the many states that have additional rules and regulations when the person requesting a name change has a criminal record.
For more information, please see the National Center for Transgender Equality’s Identity Documents Center.
