Washington Adult Name Change Packet

I. EXPLANATION OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME

A. In Washington, an action for a court ordered Change of Name begins with the filing of a Petition in the District court. The Petition must contain certain information. The forms in this packet include the necessary information for an Adult Name Change in the State of Washington.

B. You can use this packet if:

► You are at least 18 years of age and have been a resident of the county in which you will file for the required amount of time as reflected in the law summary.

► You have proper and reasonable cause for the requested change of name.

► You are not changing your name to avoid debts or defraud creditors.

II. WHAT FORMS ARE INCLUDED

A. Petition for Change of Name – (WA-NC-100) This document states the reasons and other required details for your name change.

B. Order of Name Change – (WA-NC-101) This is the final statement of the legalities and terms of your name change. Once this form is signed by the Judge and filed with the court, the name change is effective.

III. PROCEDURE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (ADULT) FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

A. Preliminary Note:

1. The attached forms may be completed by:

a. Printing the forms and completing by hand. Use black ink and print neatly.

b. Printing the forms and completing using a typewriter.

c. By completing the forms on your computer using a word processing program and then printing the forms.

2. Use complete names and not initials. Check your spelling carefully, a misspelled word can delay your name change.

3. Print three (3) complete sets of forms.

4. All forms with a heading – the name of the court, the Petitioner’s name, the case number, and the name of the document – require that the heading be completed. You will need to add the name of the court and the full name of the Petitioner. The “Action/Cause No.” will be assigned by the court clerk at the time of filing.

5. Forms that require your signature and include a notary block MUST be signed in the presence of the notary or court clerk who will complete the acknowledgement. Use your complete name – first name, middle name, last name.

6. When a form is filed with the court, request the clerk “file-stamp” one copy of the form for your file.

7. A Law Summary is available and can be printed for your State. To do so, go to the end of this package and select the Law Summary link under the form title and print. Review the Law Summary before beginning the process of completing the forms.

B. Procedure

Step 1: Complete all the forms using complete names – middle names instead of middle initials.

Step 2: File the Petition in the District Court in the county in which you have been a resident and pay the appropriate fee.

Step 3: After filing the Clerk will advise you how a hearing will be set and if publication of any notice is required. Follow the directions of the Clerk.

Step 4: Appear as directed by the Clerk and present the Order to Change Name to the Court. At the hearing, any persons objecting to the requested Name Change will be heard by the Court; and the Court may examine, upon oath, the Petitioner(s) or other persons concerning the Petition.

Step 5: Obtain a certified copy of the Order from the Clerk after it has been signed by the Judge. The Court will normally record your Name Change with the County Auditor. Recording normally takes 6 to 8 weeks.

NOTE ABOUT COMPLETING THE FORMS

The forms in this packet contain “form fields” created using Microsoft Word. “Form fields” facilitate completion of the forms using your computer. They do not limit your ability to print the form “in blank” and complete with a typewriter or by hand.

If you do not see the gray shaded form fields, go the View menu, click on Toolbars, and then select Forms. This will open the forms toolbar. Look for the button on the forms toolbar that resembles a shaded letter “a”. Click in this button and the form fields will be visible.

The forms are locked which means that the content of the forms cannot be changed. You can only fill in the information in the fields.

If you need to make any changes in the body of the form, it is necessary for you “unlock” or “unprotect” the form. IF YOU INTEND TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE CONTENT, DO SO BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO FILL IN THE FIELDS. IF YOU UNLOCK THE DOCUMENT AFTER YOU HAVE BEGUN TO COMPLETE THE FIELDS, WHEN YOU RELOCK, ALL INFORMATION YOU ENTERED WILL BE LOST. To unlock click on “Tools” in the Menu bar and then selecting “unprotect document”. You may then be prompted to enter a password. If so, the password is “uslf”. That is uslf in lower case letters without the quotation marks. After you make the changes relock the document before you being to complete the fields.

After any required changes and re-protecting the document, click on the first form field and enter the required information. You will be able to navigate through the document from form field to form field using your tab key. Tab to a form field and insert your data. If problems, please let us know.

LAW SUMMARY

You may access the law summary by going to this URL address:

http://www.uslegalforms.com/wa/WA-NAME-1A.htm

DISCLAIMER

These materials were developed by U.S. Legal Forms, Inc. based upon statutes and forms for the State of Washington. All Information and Forms are subject to this Disclaimer: All forms in this package are provided without any warranty, express or implied, as to their legal effect and completeness. Please use at your own risk. If you have a serious legal problem we suggest that you consult an attorney. U.S. Legal Forms, Inc. does not provide legal advice. The products offered by U.S. Legal Forms (USLF) are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

THESE MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF ANY KIND INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NONINFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL U. S. LEGAL FORMS, INC. OR ITS AGENTS OR OFFICERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF INFORMATION) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE MATERIALS, EVEN IF U.S. LEGAL FORMS, INC. HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES

Petition for Change of Name

Court Name:

Petitioner Name:

Case No.:

1. Current Full Name:

2. Proposed New Name:

3. County of Residence:

4. State of Residence:

5. Date of Birth:

6. Length of Residence in County:

7. Reason for Name Change:

8. I declare that this request is not made to avoid debts or defraud creditors.

I certify this statement is true.

Order of Name Change

Court Name:

Petitioner Name:

Case No.:

The court orders that the name of the petitioner be changed to:

New Name:

Effective Date: