Adult Name Change in Georgia: Steps, Cost & Forms
Verified against Georgia Superior Court and .gov sources · Last verified July 16, 2026.
An adult name change in Georgia is filed in the Superior Court (Clerk of Superior Court, county of residence), costs about $200–$330 (typical $215, varies by county), and requires a newspaper notice. Most cases finish in 5–10 weeks. You'll need the forms below and certified copies of the signed order to update your IDs.
Your personalized plan
Pick your state and situation for your exact filing fee, court, forms, and ordered steps.
What it costs
Georgia has no single statewide filing fee; county civil filing fees for a name-change petition typically run about $200–$330 (for example, DeKalb County charges about $213). A statutory $15 surcharge applies. Confirm the exact amount with your county Superior Court clerk.
Superior Court in the county where you live
Step by step
- 1
Complete a Petition for Change of Name of Adult, a notarized Verification, a Notice of Petition to Change Name, and a Civil Case Filing Information Form (forms vary by county — get them from your Clerk of Superior Court).
- 2
File the petition with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where you live and pay the county filing fee, or file a pauper's (poverty) affidavit to ask the court to waive the fee.
- 3
Within seven days of filing, arrange for the Notice of Petition to be published in the county's legal organ once a week for four consecutive weeks, then collect the Publisher's Affidavit.
- 4
If no one objects within 30 days of the first publication, the judge signs a Final Order granting the name change; some counties grant it without a hearing.
- 5
Order certified copies of the signed Final Order and use them to update Social Security, the Georgia DDS, your passport, and your accounts.
Official forms
Every link goes to the official court or government host — never a paid re-host.
- • Georgia does not require a criminal background check or fingerprints for an adult name change; the main hurdles are the newspaper publication and the county-specific filing fee.
- • Filing fees and the exact forms vary by county because Georgia name-change forms are not standardized statewide — always confirm with your county Clerk of Superior Court.
Then update your IDs
Once you have the signed order, update Social Security first, then your Georgia license, then your passport and accounts.
Adult petition name change in nearby states
Adult (Court) Name Change in Georgia: FAQ
How much does a adult (court) name change cost in Georgia?
Do I have to publish a notice in a newspaper in Georgia?
How long does it take in Georgia?
What do I do after the judge signs my order in Georgia?
Sources
Every fee, court, rule, and form on this page traces to an official government source:
See our verification methodology and themaster source list.