So you want to change your name? Well, it’s actually not that hard. In fact, in some cases you can legally change your name by simply using your desired name in all aspects of your business or personal life. If you use it enough, most states will eventually realize that you have changed your name and thus recognize it legally. For some people, this is an easy solution to the problem, and most importantly, it is FREE. Here comes the “however”, however, some states do not recognize this form of legal name change (referred to as usage), and require the use of a legal name change. Certain documents such as a passport or a certified birth certificate will also create problems for you if the legal name change is not filed with a court.
To create an official, legal name change, is a fairly simple process. An online legal name change can be filed with an online legal document service. To file your name change online all you need to do is answer a few questions and voila, they will file the paperwork for you. Make sure you fit the guidelines below before you attempt to file a name change, because you will not be allowed to make the filing if you meet any of the criteria below.
Using the legal name change to avoid debts
Defraud any other person or entity
Changing name to be similar to a known celebrity, for the eventual purpose of fraud
Name change to a racial slur, or other obscene words
Numbers or punctuation marks
Most of these things are fairly self-explanatory, but obviously they need to exist because eventually someone out there is going to try to rename themselves to “1”. Once the filing has been approved by the court it is then time to notify all of the parties that could be interested in your new legal name. The online legal document filing of an online name change only serves to change your name in the courts. It is still your responsibility to notify the DMV, IRS, Credit companies, Employer, and any other membership type organizations in your life.
As you can see, the process is fairly straightforward. If you decide to change your name legally online through an online document service the process can take anywhere between one to three months total. The timeframe for each organization to recognize your online legal name change varies, but usually is around a month or two depending upon the organization.
This information is for general purposes only. All that we do is submitted and performed with the understanding that we are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other such professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought.
