Complete Legal Ohio Name Change Forms For Free

Copies of your name change application filings, Certified copy of your birth certificate (if required by your county), ? Photo ID, and ? Proof of newspaper publication (if required by your county).

You may need an attorney or experienced advocate to go with you to the court hearing in order to educate the probate judge that medical justification should not be required for a name change in Ohio.

The first step in changing your name in Ohio is to get a court order recognizing your name change. 1 The typical steps are: file an ?application? in the Probate Court of the county you live in, publish notice of a hearing about your application, and ? attend a hearing about your application in the Probate Court.

The court may choose to publish the name change application in the local newspaper. This may require the posting of additional funds with the court to cover the cost of publication. The filing fee is $83.60 for adult name changes. If publication is required, the filing fee is instead $153.60.

Gather your identification and supporting documents. The court will also ask for any available proof of your reason for the name change. Proof of your reason could include documents like a marriage certificate, divorce decree or signed statement from your gender-specialist doctor.

To get started you'll need either a marriage certificate or a deed poll. You can go back to your former name even if you're not divorced! Whatever your situation, we refer to this document as your certificate. Financial institutions and government departments may ask for additional documents to safeguard your identity.