Hawaii Name Change Requirements

General Summary of Name Change Laws

The Courts are often willing to accept name changes for almost any legitimate reason. However, the granting of an application for change of name is discretionary with the Court. For an order/decree/judgment of name change to be granted, the Court must find compliance with the requirements of notice and the requirements for the allegations in the application. The Court must also find good and sufficient reason for the change, find the change consistent with the public interest and if the change of name is for a minor child, find that the change is in the best interests of the minor child.

You cannot change your/one's name for a fraudulent purpose, such as to avoid debts, you cannot change to a name that could affect the rights of another person, such as a celebrity, you cannot use a curse word, racial slur, obscene and/or an offensive word as part of your/one's name and you cannot change to a name that would cause deliberate confusion (for example, a name with punctuation and/or a number in it).

IMPORTANT NOTE: For name change actions which involve a minor, our materials are strictly for use if both parents consent to the name change. If one parent does not consent, our materials are not appropriate. The applicant may wish to contact a local lawyer, bar association, etc. Additionally, for name change actions which involve a minor, the minor child must consent to the change if (s)he is a certain age (varies by state).

Again, please remember, our name change materials are designed to cover simple, uncontested name changes ONLY.

Overview of Process in Hawaii for an Adult

PLEASE NOTE: The Order issued by the State of Hawaii Office of the Lt. Governor is NOT a court Order (signed by a Judge). It is merely an Administrative Order (signed by the Lt. Governor). Most States require a Court Order before amending a birth certificate. As such, our materials are primarily intended for Hawaiian residents who were born in Hawaii.

In Hawaii, an adult may change his/her name by filing an action in the Lieutenant Governor's office with appropriate forms. The process for obtaining a name change for an adult in Hawaii begins with the filing of a Petition and other forms with the Lieutenant Governor's office. The Petitioner (the person who initiates the suit/application) must have lived within the State of Hawaii and the island in which they are currently residing in for at least six (6) months.

The Petition includes personal information as required by statute, such as the Petitioner's name, the new name the Petitioner wishes to adopt and the reasons for the request for change of name. The Petition must be accompanied by a notarized acknowledgement.

In the event that anyone files an objection to your request, your case will become contested and you are strongly urged to hire an attorney. If you do not retain an attorney you will have to represent yourself in a contested hearing.

The Lieutenant Governor's Office may grant or refuse the requested change of name. If everything is in order (the statutory requirements have been satisfied) and the Lieutenant Governor's Office agrees to the intent and nature of the Petition (that the requested name change would be proper and not detrimental to the interests of any other person), the Lieutenant Governor's Office will approve the Petition.

Once the Petition has been approved, the Notice of Change of Name form, shall be returned to the Petitioner (via mail), signed by the Lieutenant Governor. Upon receipt of the Notice form, the Petitioner must take the Notice form to the newspaper for publication. The Petitioner must publish a notice in a specified newspaper one (1) time.

After publication is complete, the newspaper will mail the Lieutenant Governor's Office and the Petitioner an Affidavit (of Publication) form. The Notice of Change of Name must be published in the newspaper and an affidavit executed within sixty (60) days of the signing of the Notice form by the Lieutenant Governor.

After proof (the Affidavit form) has been filed with the Lieutenant Governor's office, the Lieutenant Governor's office will finalize (sign) the Order form and will send this completed form to the Petitioner (via mail). The Petitioner must send a copy of the completed Order form to the Bureau of Conveyances within sixty (60) days after the signing of the Order form. If any additional timeframe must expire before the Petitioner can begin using his/her new name, the Lieutenant Governor's office will advise the Petitioner of such.

If written objections are filed with the Clerk within the ten days following publication of notice, the Court will schedule a hearing. At the hearing, the Court may take evidence from all interested parties. Then the Court may grant or refuse the requested change of name. In the event that anyone files an objection to your request, your case will become a contested case and you are strongly urged to hire an attorney. If you do not retain an attorney you will have to represent yourself in a contested hearing. Requirements to File for a Change of Name for an Adult in Hawaii Certain requirements exist which must be met before you can file for a name change and/or during the name change process in Hawaii. These requirements include:

  • You must have lived within the State of Hawaii and the island in which you will be filing your application in for at least six (6) months.
  • You must file in the Lieutenant Governor's office. PLEASE NOTE: The Order issued by the State of Hawaii Office of the Lt. Governor is NOT a court Order (signed by a Judge). It is merely an Administrative Order (signed by the Lt. Governor). Most States require a Court Order before amending a birth certificate. As such, our materials are primarily intended for Hawaiian residents who were born in Hawaii.
  • You must be an adult. Following is the age of majority, as taken directly from Chapter 577, Sec. 577-1, of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, "All persons residing in the State, who have attained the age of eighteen years, shall be regarded as of legal age and their period of minority to have ceased."
  • You must have proper and reasonable cause for the requested change of name.
  • You are not changing your name to avoid debts or to defraud creditors or anyone else.

Overview of Process in Hawaii for a Minor (Both Parents Petitioning)

PLEASE NOTE: The Order issued by the State of Hawaii Office of the Lt. Governor is NOT a court Order (signed by a Judge). It is merely an Administrative Order (signed by the Lt. Governor). Most States require a Court Order before amending a birth certificate. As such, our materials are primarily intended for Hawaiian residents who were born in Hawaii.

In Hawaii, most name change actions are not heard by a court, but rather by the Lieutenant Governor's Office. The process for obtaining a name change for a minor child whose parents are both petitioners, begins with the filing of a Petition and other appropriate forms, in the Lieutenant Governor's Office. The Petitioners (the persons who initiate the suit/application - in this case both of the minor child's parents) and the minor child must have lived within the State of Hawaii and on the island in which they are currently residing in, for at least six (6) months.

The Petition includes personal information as required by statute, such as the Petitioners' names, the minor child's name, the new name requested for the minor child and the reason(s) for the request for change of name. The Petition must be accompanied by a notarized acknowledgement. If the minor child is ten years of age or older, (s)he must sign a written consent form.

The Lieutenant Governor's Office may grant or refuse the requested change of name. If everything is in order (the statutory requirements have been satisfied) and the Lieutenant Governor's Office agrees to the intent and nature of the Petition (that the requested name change would be proper and not detrimental to the interests of any other person), the Lieutenant Governor's Office will approve the Petition.

Once the Petition has been approved, the signed Notice of Change of Name form shall be returned to the Petitioners. Upon receipt of the Notice form, it must be taken to a newspaper for publication. The Petitioners must publish a notice in a specified newspaper one (1) time.

After publication is complete, proof of the publication must be given to the Lieutenant Governor's Office.

Then the official will finalize (sign) the Order form and will send this completed form to the Petitioners (via mail). The Petitioners must send a copy of the completed Order form to the Bureau of Conveyances after the signing of the Order form.

If any additional timeframe must expire before the Petitioners' minor child can begin using his/her new name, the Lieutenant Governor's Office will advise the Petitioners of such.

Overview of Process in Hawaii for a Minor (One Parent Petitions, One Parent Consents)

PLEASE NOTE: The Order issued by the State of Hawaii Office of the Lt. Governor is NOT a court Order (signed by a Judge). It is merely an Administrative Order (signed by the Lt. Governor). Most States require a Court Order before amending a birth certificate. As such, our materials are primarily intended for Hawaiian residents who were born in Hawaii.

In Hawaii, the process for obtaining a name change for a minor/child whose one parent is acting as the Petitioner and the other (non-petitioning) parent is providing written notarized consent and if the minor/child is ten (10) years of age or older and consents to the name change, begins with the filing of a Petition and other appropriate forms, in the Lieutenant Governor's Office. The Petitioner (the person whom initiates the suit/application - in this case one of the minor child's parents) and the minor child must have lived within the State of Hawaii and the island in which they are currently residing for at least six (6) months.

The Petition includes personal information as required by statute, such as the Petitioner's name, the minor child's name, the new name requested for the minor child and the reasons for the request for change of name. The Petition must be accompanied by a notarized acknowledgement and written notarized consent by the non-petitioning parent. Additionally, as indicated above, if the minor/child is ten (10) years of age or older (s)he must sign a written consent form, consenting to the name change.

In the event that anyone files an objection to your request, your case will become contested and you are strongly urged to hire an attorney. If you do not retain an attorney you will have to represent yourself in a contested hearing.

The Lieutenant Governor's Office may grant or refuse the requested change of name for a minor. If everything is in order (the statutory requirements have been satisfied) and the Lieutenant Governor's Office agrees to the intent and nature of the Petition (that the requested name change would be proper and not detrimental to the interests of any other person), the Lieutenant Governor's Office will approve the Petition.

Once the Petition has been approved, the Notice of Change of Name form shall be returned to the Petitioner (via mail), signed by the Lieutenant Governor. Upon receipt of the Notice form, the Petitioner must take the Notice form to the newspaper for publication. The Petitioner must publish a notice in a specified newspaper one (1) time.

After publication is complete, the newspaper will mail an Affidavit (of Publication) form to the Lieutenant Governor's Office and the Petitioner. The Notice of Change of Name must be published in the newspaper and an affidavit executed within sixty (60) days of the signing of the Notice form by the Lieutenant Governor.

After proof (the Affidavit form) has been filed with the Lieutenant Governor's Office, the Lieutenant Governor's Office will finalize (sign) the Order form and will send this completed form to the Petitioner (via mail). The Petitioner must send a copy of the completed Order form to the Bureau of Conveyances within sixty (60) days after the signing of the Order form.

If any additional timeframe must expire before the Petitioner's minor child can begin using his/her new name, the Lieutenant Governor's Office will advise the Petitioner of such.

Requirements to File for a Change of Name for a Minor in Hawaii

Certain requirements exist which must be met before you can file for a name change for a minor child and/or during the name change process for a minor child in Hawaii. These requirements include:

  • The Petitioners (the parents and the minor child) must have lived within the State of Hawaii and on the island in which you will be filing your application in, for at least the six (6) months prior to filing.
  • If the minor is at least ten (10) years old, (s)he consents to the name change.
  • You must file in the Lieutenant Governor's Office. PLEASE NOTE: The Order issued by the State of Hawaii Office of the Lt. Governor is NOT a court Order (signed by a Judge). It is merely an Administrative Order (signed by the Lt. Governor). Most States require a Court Order before amending a birth certificate. As such, our materials are primarily intended for Hawaiian residents who were born in Hawaii.
  • To file an application for a change of name for a minor child in Hawaii, the minor child must be seventeen years of age or younger. Following is the age of majority, as taken directly from Chapter 577, Sec. 577-1, of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, "All persons residing in the State, who have attained the age of eighteen years, shall be regarded as of legal age and their period of minority to have ceased." Once the age of majority is reached, an application for an adult name change should be filed.
  • The Petitioners must have proper and reasonable cause for the requested change of name.
  • The Petitioners are not changing the minor child's name to avoid debts or to defraud creditors or anyone else.

Hawaii Name Change Forms

Self-Prepared

Adult Name Change $29.95
Minor Name Change $29.95

Paralegal-Prepared

Adult Name Change $99.95
Minor Name Change $119.95

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