Idaho Petition for Name Change

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Idaho Petition for Name Change

An Idaho petition for name change is a legal form that initiates the proceedings necessary to legally change a person’s name. Before the court can grant the petition, the individual will have to publish notice of the name change and attend a court hearing. Upon approval, the court order allows the person’s name to be updated wherever it’s registered.

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Last updated November 22nd, 2025

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An Idaho petition for name change is a legal form that initiates the proceedings necessary to legally change a person’s name. Before the court can grant the petition, the individual will have to publish notice of the name change and attend a court hearing. Upon approval, the court order allows the person’s name to be updated wherever it’s registered.

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Eligibility Requirements

  • Be an Idaho resident
  • Be an adult (18 years of age) or emancipated minor
  • If a minor, have the signed permission of one parent/guardian
  • Cannot be done to avoid registration as a convicted sexual offender

How to Legally Change a Name in Idaho

Step 1 – Fill Out Court Forms

The following forms must be prepared when applying for a name change:

The petitioner can use this list of publications to determine which newspaper to enter into section five of the petition.

Step 2 – Make Copies

The petitioner must make one copy of the completed Petition for Name Change and two copies of the completed Notice of Hearing, placing the copies under their respective original forms for filing.

Step 3 – File Forms

All forms and copies will need to be brought to the petitioner’s local district court and filed with the court clerk, along with payment of the filing fee.[1]

After receiving payment, the clerk will provide the hearing date on the Notice of Hearing, which should be at least six weeks after the filing date.

The filing fee may be waived on request by submitting a Motion and Affidavit for Fee Waiver (FW 1-9) and Order Re: Fee Waiver (FW 1-10).

Step 4 – Publish Notice of Hearing

Notice of the name change must be published in a local newspaper once a week for four consecutive weeks.[2] To accomplish this, the petitioner must submit the Letter Requesting Publication of Notice and Notice of Hearing to their selected newspaper.

After the four weeks, the newspaper will provide the petitioner with an Affidavit of Publication, which they must file with the district court before the hearing.

Step 5 – Attend Hearing

The petitioner is legally required to attend their hearing and must bring their previously prepared Judgment for Name Change form, along with as many copies as they will need to have certified.[3] If there are no objections, the judge will likely sign the Judgment without testimony.

Certified copies of the Judgment can be purchased from the court clerk’s office for use when updating social security, ID, and other accounts and registrations.

Marriage and Divorce

Name changes resulting from a marriage or divorce should be made through the court process for either action. The person will need to request the name change in their marriage license application or Petition for Divorce.

Following the marriage or divorce, the marriage license or Divorce Decree can be used as proof of the person’s new name when updating it where necessary.

Sources

    1. §§ 7-801, 7-802
    2. § 7-803
    3. § 7-804