Prepared by U.S. Legal Forms, Inc.
Copyright 2017 - U.S. Legal Forms, Inc.
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
NAME CHANGE
MINOR PACKET
Control Number – NC -NAME-2
This packet contains the following:
1. Instructions ;
2. Forms List ; and
3. Access to North Carolina Law Summary.
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I. EXPLANATION OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME
A. In North Carolina an action for a Minor Name Change is brought by the
Parent(s), Guardian, or next friend of a minor on behalf of the minor.
The action for a court ordered Minor Change of Name begins with the
posting of the Notice of Intent to Change Name in the courthouse for
ten (10) consecutive calendar days. The forms in this packet include
the necessary information for a Minor Name Change in the State of
North Carolina.
B. You can use this packet if:
► You have good and sufcient cause for the requested change of
name.
► You are not changing the minor’s name to avoid debts or defraud
creditors.
C. If a non-party parent is living the consent of that parent must be
obtained unless:
1. The Petitioner fles with the Clerk of the Court a copy of an order
of a court fnding that the non-party parent has abandoned the
minor. If possible, this should be a certifed copy of the court
order.
2. If a court of competent jurisdiction has not declared the minor to
be an abandoned child, the clerk, on 10 days' written notice by
registered or certifed mail, directed to the last known address of
the parent alleged to have abandoned the child, may determine
whether the parent has abandoned the child. If the non-party
parent denies that he or she abandoned the child, this issue of
fact shall be transferred to a judge and determined as provided
in G.S. 1-301.2. If abandonment is determined, the consent of
the parent is not required. Upon fnal determination of this issue
of fact, the proceeding shall be transferred back to the special
proceedings docket for further action by the clerk.
If it is determined that the minor has not been abandoned by
the non-party parent, the name change will not be ordered by
the Clerk.
3. But, a minor who has reached the age of 16 years, upon
proper application to the clerk, may change his or her
name with the consent of the parent who has custody of
the minor and has supported the minor, without the
necessity of obtaining the consent of the other parent,
when the clerk of court is satisfed that the other parent
has abandoned the minor .
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4. If a non-party parent is involved, as discussed in 2, complete the
Afdavit in Support of Minor Name Change and submit to the
clerk at the time the initial papers are fled.
5. If both parents are listed on the birth certifcate, one parent may
not change the name of the child without the consent of the
other parent. If only one parent is listed on the birth
certifcate it is not necessary to obtain the consent of the
alleged father but you must submit an afdadit form
from the Department of Human Resources that no
acknowledgement of paternity has been receided.
II. WHAT FORMS ARE INCLUDED
A. Special Proceedings Cover Sheet - (NC-NC-103) This document
provides the court with certain information about the parties.
B. Notice of Intent to Change Name - (NC-NC-200) Notice that you intend to
bring your Petition for Change of Name for hearing. This must be
posted in the manner described below.
C. Petition for Name Change - (NC-NC-107) This document states the reasons
and other required details for your name change.
D. Consent for Name Change - (NC-NC-202) This document provides the
consent of an individual who is not a party to the cause of action.
E. Afdavit of Good Character - (NC-NC-202 and NC-NC-202-2) This
document provides proof of the good character of the petitioner. The
form is only used for minors 16 and over. It must be signed before a
notary by an unrelated adult who resides in the same county as the
minor.
F. Afdavit in Support of Petition for Minor Name Change - (NC-NC-203) This
document provides the consent of a non-participating parent or
guardian to the name change of a minor.
G. Order And Certifcate Of Name Change - (NC-NC-106) This document
fnaliees the requested name change and provides proof that the
adult’s name has been changed.
If you did not order a completion package and need access to the download
page again for any of the above forms, please check your email for a link to
that will redisplay the page for you.
Note: This package contains forms for use throughout your State. However, some
Counties, or Judges may require a diferent form, or modifcation to these
forms. If this happens, please consult with your local Court Clerk. If you are
required to use additional forms, please advise us by sending an e-mail to
orders@uslegalforms.com.
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III. PROCEDURE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (MINOR) FOR THE STATE OF
NORTH CAROLINA
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 fling.
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 –
frst name, middle name, and last name.
6. When a form is fled with the court, request the clerk “fle-
stamp” one copy of the form for your fle.
7. A Law Summary is available and can be printed for your State.
To do so, go to where you located 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.
A Petition for the name change of a minor child may be
fled by the child's parent or parents, guardian, or
“guardian ad litem”. This application may be joined in the
application for a change of name fled by the parent or
parents.
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If a non-party parent is involved, the party parent should
complete an Afdadit in Support of Minor Name
Change and submit to the clerk at the time the initial
papers are fled.
If the minor is 16 years of age or older, t he applicant must
also fle with the Petition two Afdavits of Good Character,
which proof must be made by at least two citieens of the
county who know his standing. Proof of good
character is not required when the application is
for the change of name of a child under 16 years of
age.
Step 2: Once your documents have been reviewed by the Clerk’s
ofce, the Order and Certifcate of Name Change will be
signed in triplicate. Form AOC-SP-601/DHHS 1053 –
“Order And Certifcate Of Name Change” - is a Bureau of
Vital Records “chemical carbon form” and unavailable in
electronic format.
The original of the “Order And Certifcate Of Name
Change” form will be fled by the Clerk’s ofce with North
Carolina Vital Records. A true copy will be mailed to you
and a copy will remain in the court fle.
We hade also included form “Order and Certifcate
of Name Change” – (NC-NC-104) – as a Word
document. Generally, the court will also execute
this document. Certifed copies of this Word
document can then be used as proof of the name
change.
Additional information regarding the Afdavit in Support of Minor Name Change:
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1. Review Step One on page 4 and 5.
2. From a reading of the statute it would appear that, if the non-party parent
does not join in or consent to the name change, and there is no court order
holding the parent to have abandoned the minor, then the issue of notice
must be dealt with through the Clerk of the Court.
3. If the minor is 16 years or older, notice will not be required if the Clerk is
satisfed that the non-party parent has abandoned the child.
4. If the minor is under age 16, then the Clerk is required by the statute to provide
the non-party parent 10 days notice of the Hearing and inquire if the non-
party parent admits or denies abandoning the child. If the non-party parent
denies abandoning the child then a hearing will be held to determine the
issue. If the non-party parent admits the abandonment or fails to respond,
the issue will be settled by the clerk.
5. If the non-party parent denies abandonment, the Clerk will transfer
the case to a Judge and a hearing will be held. The Judge can choose to
address only the issue of abandonment which prompted the transfer from
the Clerk or the court can deal with all the issues arising in the “special
proceeding” for the name change of the minor. In efect, the name change
process can be done in one hearing which includes the issue of notice to a
non-party parent.
6. The key factor in determining whether the non-party parent is entitled to
notice of the name change action is whether the minor has been abandoned
by the non-party parent. Abandonment has been defned as “wil[l]ful neglect
and refusal to perform the natural and legal obligations of parental care and
support”. It has been held that if a parent withholds his presence, his love, his
care, the opportunity to display flial afection, and wil[l]fully neglects to lend
support and maintenance, such parent relinquishes all parental claims and
abandons the child. Pratt v. Bishop , 257 N.C. at 501, 126 S.E.2d at 608.
7. Complete the Afdavit in Support of the Name Change Action with the above
issue in mind.
8. If the party parent feels the minor is sufciently mature, the minor may also
execute an afdavit regarding the abandonment issue and the desire for a
name change.
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NOTE ABOUT COMPLETING THE FORMS
The forms in this packet contain “form felds” created using Microsoft Word. “Form
felds” facilitate completion of the forms using your computer. They do not limit you
ability to print the form “in blank” and complete with a typewriter or by hand.
If you do not see the gray shaded form felds, 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
felds will be visible.
The forms are locked which means that the content of the forms cannot be
changed. You can only fll in the information in the felds.
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 felds.
After any required changes and re-protecting the document, click on the
frst form feld and enter the required information. You will be able to
nadigate through the document from form feld to form feld using your
tab key. Tab to a form feld and insert your data. If problems, please let
us know.
LAW SUMMARY
The law summary for this package may be located and printed from the following
address:
http://www.uslegalforms.com/nc/NC-NAME-2.htm
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DISCLAIMER
These materials were developed by U.S. Legal Forms, Inc. based upon statutes and
forms for the State of North Carolina. 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 efect 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 ofered by U.S. Legal
Forms (USLF) are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.
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POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
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