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Help & FAQs Name Change
Overview
Included are helpful articles on the legal issues surrounding Name Change.
People may wish to change their legal name for a variety of reasons. In order to do so legally, you must be eligible under state law, and follow the state-required process.
Jurisdiction
Name changes are authorized by Hawaii Revised Statues Section 574-5. This statute allows for name changes by order of the lieutenant governor or a family court, upon marriage, or upon proving you are the father of a child you had out of wedlock. The specific procedures required to change your name are in Title 2, Chapter 2 of the Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR), which can be accessed online.
Key Legal Issues
Denial of Name Change Petition
The Lt. Governor may deny your petition to change your name, in which case, the reasons for denial must be given to you. You have the right to a hearing on the matter, which is confidential and not open to the public.
Non-acceptance of Name Change Petition
The office of Lt. Governor may refuse to accept your petition for name change if it does not meet all the specified rules. The refusal notice must include the specific reasons for non-acceptance.
Name Change for a Minor
If the name change is for a minor, the petition to change their name must also have a consent form signed by the parent and the minor (if the minor is 10 years or older).
A name change for a minor may be done with consent of only one parent in limited circumstances. The parent must show that they made all reasonable efforts to locate and notify the other parent of the name change, and were unable to do so.
Process
Generally, in order to change your name you must submit a petition to the Lt. Governor’s office. Currently, you may do this through an online application through the Lt. Governor’s website. The petition should include a form Name Change Order, which will be signed by the Lt. Governor once approved, then mailed to you. It generally takes approximately 6-8 weeks to receive the Name Change Order. In order to file the petition, you must pay a $50.00 Filing Fee, and if you pay online, there is an additional $5.00 administrative fee. Both fees are non-refundable.
After the petition has been approved, you must publish the notice of name change with a newspaper of general circulation within sixty days. People usually publish in the Honolulu Star Advertiser, which also has a publishing fee. You must then complete the name change process by filing the Name Change Order from the Lt. Governor with the Bureau of Conveyances, which requires a $41 fee.
If you also want to amend your birth certificate, there is a separate process with the Department of Health.