Texas Adult Name Change

Researched filing overview

Texas Adult Name Change Filing Overview

Who files

an adult 18 or older files a verified petition with the district clerk of the Texas county where they live (Tex. Fam. Code § 45.101). Some counties route name changes to a county court at law — ask the clerk. Most Texas counties require e-filing through eFileTexas.gov; self-represented filers may file in person where allowed. The filing fee is roughly $250–$350 depending on the county — confirm the current figure before you go. If you cannot afford it, use the official bilingual Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145), free at txcourts.gov — this kit does not substitute for that official form.

Fingerprints

the step that delays most Texas cases — the petition must have a legible, complete set of your fingerprints on an FD-258 card attached when you file (§ 45.102(a)(6)), signed in your current legal name. That is card #1 — get printed before filing by local law enforcement, or by IdentoGO with card printing requested (standard electronic enrollment may not produce a physical card). After filing, get a file-stamped copy of the petition and mail card #2 with that copy and the fee — currently $27 ($15 DPS plus $12 FBI) — to DPS Central Cash Receiving, P.O. Box 15999, Austin, TX 78761-5999. Read the current DPS instructions (form CR-65) first; fees and addresses change. DPS and the FBI report the result to the court, and the hearing waits on it.

What the petition must say

under § 45.102, your place of residence — or, for address-confidentiality-program participants, your ACP authorization card instead (§ 45.102(c)); the requested name and the reason; whether you have a final felony conviction and whether you are subject to Chapter 62 sex-offender registration; and the § 45.102(b) identifier schedule — sex, race, date of birth, Social Security number, every driver’s license issued to you in the preceding 10 years, and every charge above Class C misdemeanor, even dismissed ones. This packet’s petition walks each item and verifies by unsworn declaration under penalty of perjury (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 132.001), with a notary alternative if your court requires a sworn verification.

The decision

the judge grants the change if it is in your interest or benefit and in the interest of the public (§ 45.103(a)). With a final felony conviction the judge may grant only if you were pardoned, finished discharge or community supervision at least two years ago, or ask for the primary name in your criminal-history record (§ 45.103(b)); Chapter 62 registrants must also prove they notified local law enforcement of the proposed change (§ 45.103(c)). The proposed order in this kit presents those paths as findings for the court — you complete the petition, the judge checks the findings. Bring the proposed order and photo ID to the hearing; some courts sign on submission.

After the order

buy several certified copies from the clerk, then update records in order — Social Security card first (SSA form SS-5, free), then your Texas driver license or ID at DPS (Texas law requires updating within 30 days of a name change — Transportation Code § 521.054), then your U.S. passport, voter registration, banks, and employers. A Texas birth certificate is not amended by the order itself — apply to DSHS Vital Statistics with a certified copy using the current amendment application at dshs.texas.gov; this kit deliberately does not bundle the stale vital-records forms that circulate online. Simpler paths first: a marriage certificate, or a divorce decree restoring a former name, usually changes your name with no petition at all.