Adult Legal Name Change Requirements in Minnesota
At a glance
| Governing law and court | Minn. Stat. §§ 259.10-.13; file NAM102 in the district court of the county where the adult currently resides (§ 259.10, subd. 1) |
|---|---|
| Who may petition and residency | Adult age 18 or older who has lived in Minnesota for at least 6 months immediately before filing; file in the current residence county (§ 259.10; NAM101/102) |
| Petition contents and oath | NAM102 states good faith/no fraud, six-month residence and address, applicant/spouse/minor-child names and birth dates, current/requested names, criminal and felony history, Minnesota land interests with legal descriptions, witness-protection/inmate status, and requested birth-record relief; sign under penalty of perjury. No ordinary reason-for-change field |
| Criminal background check | Court must determine criminal history in Minnesota and other states; filer completes NAM103 for every applicant age 10+. Court may request national FBI records through BCA using fingerprints; no universal applicant-supplied fingerprint package (§ 259.11(b); NAM101) |
| Publication or notice | No ordinary adult newspaper publication. A felony-conviction applicant must serve the prosecuting authority and, for an out-of-state/federal conviction, the Minnesota Attorney General; file proof and wait 30 days for objection (§ 259.13, subds. 1-2) |
| Safety, confidentiality, and special tracks | If the change is connected to participation in a witness and victim protection program, court records and even the application's existence are private, subject to the statutory law-enforcement/probation/corrections access (§ 259.10, subd. 2). No separate statutory gender-identity name-change track |
| Hearing and grant standard | Personal appearance and at least 2 identity witnesses are mandatory. Court shall grant after § 259.10 compliance unless it finds fraud/misleading intent or § 259.13 prohibits the change (§§ 259.10-.11; NAM101) |
| Grounds for denial or restriction | Felony conviction is a notice/objection track, not an automatic bar: prosecutor/AG may object within 30 days on fraud, bad faith, injury, or public safety; overcoming an objection requires clear and convincing proof, unless denial would infringe a constitutional right. Confined inmate may request only one change (§§ 259.12-.13) |
| Fee and post-order effect | $310 base filing fee plus county law-library fee (current Hennepin total: $322); certified order $14. FEE102 waiver available for ordinary filers, but felony/inmate waiver limits apply. If criminal history exists, both court and petitioner report the change to BCA within 10 days; applicant records certified order in each county containing listed land interests (§§ 259.11-.13) |
Requirements one by one
Live in Minnesota for six months and file NAM102
An adult must have lived in Minnesota for at least six months immediately before filing and files in the district court of the county where the adult now lives. Current NAM102 is signed under penalty of perjury, not notarized.
The application states good faith and no intent to defraud or mislead; residence and address; applicant, spouse, and minor-child names and birth dates; current and requested names; criminal and felony history; and any Minnesota land in which the applicant, spouse, or children claim an interest or lien, including the legal description. It also identifies witness/victim-protection participation and inmate status. The current form does not ask an ordinary adult to give a reason for the requested name.
Complete the court's criminal-history release
Section 259.11(b) requires the court to determine whether the applicant has a criminal history in Minnesota or another state. Current NAM101 therefore requires NAM103 for every person age 10 or older on the application.
This is not a universal instruction for every adult to buy and attach a fingerprint report. The court may submit fingerprints through the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for a national FBI search.
If an applicant has a criminal history, both the court and the person whose name changed must send the order to BCA within 10 days. Failure by the person to report is a gross misdemeanor.
Attend the hearing with two identity witnesses
The adult must appear personally. At least two witnesses who know the adult must attend and testify to identity. The Court Administrator supplies the hearing date and time.
After compliance with § 259.10, the court must grant the application unless it finds intent to defraud or mislead or the felony-conviction statute prevents the change. If the order lists Minnesota land interests, the applicant files a certified copy in every county where the land is located after the county auditor notes the name change.
Minnesota has no ordinary adult newspaper-publication step. Publication in the statewide instructions concerns service in some minor cases, not the adult procedure.
Felony history triggers notice and a 30-day objection period
A person with a Minnesota, out-of-state, or federal felony conviction serves the prosecuting authority that obtained the conviction. An out-of-state or federal conviction also requires service on the Minnesota Attorney General. File proof with the name-change case.
The court cannot grant the request during the 30 days after service. The prosecutor or attorney general may object based on fraud or misleading purpose, bad faith, injury to a person, or compromised public safety. If there is an objection, the applicant may move to proceed and must prove the contrary by clear and convincing evidence. The court must nevertheless grant the change if denial would infringe a constitutional right.
A confined inmate may request only one name change during confinement. Sections 259.12 and 259.13 also restrict fee-waiver access for inmates and felony-conviction applicants, subject to the constitutional-right rule and a narrow post-marriage filing exception.
Witness and victim protection makes the case private
When the change is connected to participation in a witness and victim protection program, § 259.10, subdivision 2 requires the court to make the records inaccessible to the public. Even the application's existence may not be disclosed except for the statute's lawful-investigation access. Minnesota has no separate statutory gender-identity name-change track.
Check the county fee and order certified copies
The statewide filing base is $310, plus the county's law-library fee. The current Hennepin County total is $322. A certified order is $14.
An ordinary low-income filer may request a waiver using FEE102. The final order is then used to update personal records separately. If the application requested birth-record relief and the judge granted it, the order can direct the Department of Health to amend or replace that record; that request is distinct from the basic legal-name change.
What trips people up
- Bring people, not letters. The statute requires two witnesses to appear and prove identity at the hearing.
- The criminal-history check is court-run statewide. NAM103 is mandatory, but an applicant-supplied fingerprint package is not universal.
- There is no adult publication step. Materials requiring a legal-newspaper notice before the hearing are not describing current Minnesota adult law.
- Felony history is not an automatic denial. It creates service, waiting, objection, and proof rules.
Common questions
Must I explain why I want the new name?
Current NAM102 asks for the present and requested names and requires good faith, but it does not contain a general reason-for-change field.
Can I attend without witnesses?
No. Section 259.10 requires at least two witnesses to prove identity, and NAM101 directs both to attend the hearing.
Do I have to publish the change?
Not for an ordinary adult-only application. Newspaper publication appears in the minor notice process, not the statewide adult route.
Statutes and sources
- Minn. Stat. §§ 259.10-.11 — six-month residence, district-court venue, application facts, two-witness hearing, witness/victim-protection privacy, grant standard, criminal-history determination, BCA reporting, and land- record filing. Official § 259.10; official § 259.11 (accessed 2026-07-26).
- Minn. Stat. §§ 259.12-.13 — inmate limit and felony-conviction service, objection, proof, constitutional-right, fee, and penalty rules. Official § 259.12; official § 259.13 (accessed 2026-07-26).
- NAM101 and NAM102 — current statewide filing packet, perjury signature, complete fields, NAM103 screening, hearing, witnesses, criminal reporting, and certified-copy mechanics. Official NAM101 revised February 2025; official NAM102 (accessed 2026-07-26).
- Minnesota Judicial Branch fee materials — $310 base plus county law- library fee, $14 certified copy, and FEE102 waiver process. Official fee catalog; official FEE101 (accessed 2026-07-26).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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