Name Change Application - Do It Yourself

Who Should Use this Interview?

Under Minnesota law you can change your name through marriage, divorce/legal separation, or by filing a name change application in court. This interview is for people who would like to file a name change application.

You need to have lived in Minnesota for at least six months before filing your application.

This interview only works if you are at least 18 years old. If you are younger than 18, download the Minor Name Change Forms Packet.

What Is the Process of Changing My Name and/or Gender Marker?

1. After you fill out the Name Change Application, file the forms with the court.
    
2. Go to your hearing. You must bring 2 witnesses who have known you for at least 1 year. If you are married, 1 witness must be your spouse.
    
3. If the judge approves your Name Change Application, you will get an "Order Granting Name Change."
    
4. Get certified copies of this Order from the court administrator. Use these certified copies as evidence to update things like your driver's license, birth certificate (in some states), social security card, passport, and bank accounts.

Read the Court's Name Change Help Page for more information.

If you have been convicted of a crime

For each conviction you need to know:

1. the date of the offense,
2. the state where you were convicted, and
3. whether it was a felony.  

The court will do a criminal history check and you want this information to be the same as the information the court gets.
 

If you, your spouse, or minor children own property or have a legal interest in any property

You need to know the legal description of the property. The legal description is different than the address. You can get a copy of the legal description from the Deed, Contract for Deed, or Certificate of Title at the County Recorder office where the property is located.

This interview works best on a desktop computer. If you only have a mobile device, go to a library or other location with a desktop computer and printer. If you are at a library, you can skip this step of instructions. Public computers already have these programs installed.

If you are using your own computer, make sure your computer has Microsoft Word or Word Viewer. If you don't have Microsoft Word, you can use Word Viewer to view, copy, and print your forms (but it won't let you make changes.) Click here to get Word Viewer for free.

(Note: Microsoft Word Pad is not the same as Microsoft Word and will not work with this program.)

Start the interview by visiting the Name Change Application on LawHelp Interactive. You will be taken to a new website. 

Once on LawHelp Interactive, choose:

1. "Get Started" to complete the interview right away, 
   
   OR
    
2. "Create Account or Log In" to create an account so you can save your answers and come back later if you need more time.
    

Start the Interview!