how to change your name in wisconsin

forms of identification

Name modify

Name change procedure is governed past Wisconsin Statutes 786.36-.37 (external link). This folio describes the general court procedure for name changes across the state. For specific county procedures, contact your clerk of circuit courtroom or check the canton circuit court site.

Wisconsin besides recognizes the common police correct to modify your proper name through consequent and continuous use as long every bit the change is non done for a fraudulent purpose. This common law right as well applies to name change upon marriage.

Procedures

Basic steps to handling a name change : Pace-by-step guide with a checklist and references to necessary forms.

Forms

File all forms (including both copies of the petition) with the clerk of circuit court office in your county. A filing fee is required.

Eligibility

You must be a resident of Wisconsin. The petition must be filed in the county of your residence. The court may grant the petition "if no sufficient cause is shown to the reverse."

For a person nether 14 years of age, the petition may be submitted by:

Both parents, if both are living, or the surviving parent.
The guardian or person who has legal custody of the modest if both parents are dead or if parental rights have been terminated by judicial proceedings.
The minor's mother, if the parents take not married, if the child is not adopted, and if paternity of the minor has not been established.
1 parent, if that parent has been unable to locate or serve the other parent with the petition. If the other parent is notified and objects, and has not abandoned the child, the court will crave consent of the non petitioning parent.

There are some restrictions for people engaged in professions for which the State of Wisconsin requires a license. Come across Wisconsin Statute 786.36(iii) (external link). People required to annals every bit sexual practice offenders are prohibited from irresolute their names. Come across Wisconsin Statute 301.47(2). (external links)

Publication

Wisconsin Statute 786.37 (external link) requires publication of the Notice of Hearing and Order for Hearing in a newspaper authorized to bear legal notices for your community. You lot must contact the newspaper directly to publish a tertiary form discover (i.e., printed once a week for three weeks) prior to the hearing date. The newspaper will accuse a fee for this service. After publication is completed and paid for, the newspaper will post a Proof of Publication affidavit to y'all.

Nether Wisconsin Statute 786.37(4) a judge may waive the publication requirement if a Petition for Confidential Name Change is filed and the judge determines that publication of the proper name change request could endanger the petitioner.

Hearing & filing the social club

Go far on time for your hearing at the assigned court and inform the deputy clerk of your presence. Come forward when your case is called and give the Proof of Publication affidavit to the clerk. If you are requesting a confidential name change, you practise not have to provide the Proof of Publication affidavit to the clerk.

You lot will be placed under oath and asked for the information on the petition (proper name, desired name, etc.). If your petition is granted, the approximate will sign the Guild For Name Change. The deputy clerk will and then requite the instance file dorsum to you lot with directions.

Accept the case file dorsum to the clerk of circuit court part and purchase at to the lowest degree two certified copies of the Order for Proper noun Change. A fee will be charged for certified copies.

If the person whose proper name is changed or established was born or married in this state, the clerk of the court shall send to the state registrar of vital statistics, on a grade designed past the land registrar of vital statistics, an abstract of the record, duly certified, accompanied by the fee prescribed in §69.22, which fee the clerk of court shall charge to and collect from the petitioner.

If you were born or married exterior of Wisconsin, yous volition demand to write to that state's vital records part (external link) and ask what is required to change a birth or marriage certificate.

Another certified re-create of the lodge should be taken to the Annals of Deeds Office for filing. There will be a filing fee.

You may wish to buy an additional certified copy of the gild for your records.

Proper noun change for newborns

Wisconsin Statutes 69.11(three)(b) (external link) allows you to modify your child'southward name without a court order, for up to 365 days afterward his/her birth. To do this, contact the Wisconsin Role of Vital Records at the address above.

Correcting or amending a nativity certificate

Wisconsin Statutes 69.eleven and 69.12 (external link) set out the procedure for correcting a birth certificate. This process is used when an item is incorrect or omitted on a nativity document.

The state registrar of vital statistics may make certain changes without a court order. The state registrar may amend the name, sex, date of birth, place of birth, parents' surnames and marital condition of parents. For correction of a birth certificate within one year of the kid's birth, contact: Wisconsin Office of Vital Records (external link), P.O. Box 309, Madison, WI 53701-0309, (608) 266-1371

Afterward one twelvemonth from the child's nascence, a court order is required to alter a nascency certificate. To obtain a court club, the circuit courtroom volition crave one or both of the following forms: (1) Courtroom Order to Ameliorate a Wisconsin Birth Certificate, which is available at the Wisconsin Vital Records Role, and (two) Petition to Correct Vital Tape. Contact the clerk of circuit court to find out whether both forms must exist filed and whether the clerk has local class for a Petition to Right.

Afterward you fill out the required forms, y'all should attach any necessary supporting documentation and file your forms with the clerk of courtroom. If you are providing a certified copy of your birth certificate, the clerk of court will abstract the necessary information from the nativity certificate for the court record and render the certified re-create of the birth certificate to y'all. Counties accuse a filing fee to correct a birth certificate.

If your request is canonical, the judge will sign the Gild to Meliorate a Wisconsin Birth Certificate. The clerk will instruct you on how to file the order with the land registrar. The state registrar charges a filing fee.