Adult Legal Name Change Requirements in Nebraska

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Meet both adult eligibility tests

Nebraska's adult packet is for a person who is at least 19, married, or court-emancipated. § 43-2101(1)-(2) sets 19 as the ordinary age of majority and ends minority when a person marries before 19. The petitioner must also have been a bona fide resident of the filing county for at least one year before filing in that county's district court.

Under § 25-21,271(1), the petition states the one-year county residence, address, date of birth, reason for the change, and requested name. The current public form also gives the current name and contact information and places the birth date on a separate confidential-information form. The July 2026 guide also directs the petitioner to supply a Social Security number and birthday on that nonpublic form. The petition is signed but contains no verification, notarial acknowledgment, or penalty-of-perjury declaration.

Use the new two-week publication schedule

Effective July 18, 2026, § 25-21,271(2) requires publication once a week for two consecutive weeks. Older four-week instructions are superseded. The newspaper sends its affidavit of publication to the court after the second week.

The current Judicial Branch guide also directs the petitioner to mail the first published notice to any interested party within five days, then file a notarized affidavit of mailing within ten days after mailing. For an adult- track petitioner who is under 19 and has a noncustodial parent, subsection (3) specifically requires certified-mail notice within five days after publication when that parent has supplied an address through the identified court record.

Request the danger waiver with supporting proof

The court may waive publication if the petitioner shows that notice would endanger the petitioner. The current waiver guide says documented proof is required and gives police reports and protection orders as examples. The statute does not automatically seal the case or create a separate confidential- name or gender-identity track when publication is waived.

The confidential-information form is a separate privacy measure. The July 2026 packet says its Social Security number and birthday are not made part of the public record.

Prove the case in open court

Section 25-21,271(4) requires proof in open court. The judge must be satisfied that the petition's allegations are true, proper and reasonable cause exists, and required notice was given. The current packet says there is no name change without a hearing and instructs the petitioner to schedule it at least six weeks out.

The statute and current petition require no fingerprints, background report, registry check, or criminal-history disclosure. They state no categorical bar for a felony, incarceration, supervision, or registration. The Judicial Branch packet separately warns that a change sought to avoid debts will not be approved and says the judge will ask about creditor avoidance.

Account for the fee and automatic transmissions

The statewide Judicial Branch schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists $144 as the Category 1 district-court civil filing total. Newspaper publication and postage cost extra. A person unable to pay may submit the civil in-forma- pauperis affidavit and proposed order.

After a grant, obtain a certified decree for record updates. New subsection 25-21,271(5) also requires the district-court clerk to deliver every name- change order to the Department of Health and Human Services and to the Nebraska State Patrol's sex-offender registration and community-notification division.

What trips people up

• Four weekly publications is obsolete. LB 596 changed the adult rule to two consecutive weekly publications effective July 18, 2026.
• The petition itself is not notarized. The separate affidavit proving mailing to interested parties is the document the current packet requires to be signed before a notary.
• A publication waiver is not automatic sealing. Section 25-21,271 removes publication upon the danger showing but does not direct the court to seal the file.
• Agency delivery happens even without a criminal history. Subsection (5) says the clerk sends a copy of any order to both named agencies.

Common questions

Does Nebraska require a fingerprint card?

No. The current statute and official adult forms require no applicant-supplied fingerprints or background report.

Is the newspaper's affidavit enough to prove all notice?

It proves publication. If there is an interested party, the current packet also requires the petitioner's notarized affidavit showing timely mailing. An under- 19 petitioner with a noncustodial parent must also follow the certified-mail rule in § 25-21,271(3).

Can an 18-year-old use the adult packet?

Ordinarily not based on age alone. The packet accepts a person under 19 only if the person is married or court-emancipated, in addition to the one-year county- residence requirement.

Statutes and sources

• Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 25-21,270 to -21,271. District-court authority, one-year county residence, petition contents, two-week publication, danger waiver, under-19 parent notice, open-court standard, and agency delivery. Official § 25-21,270 and official current § 25-21,271 (accessed July 26, 2026).
• Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-2101. Ordinary age of majority and marriage's effect on minority. Official statute (accessed July 26, 2026).
• Nebraska Judicial Branch adult materials. July 2026 workflow, petition, confidential form, publication proof, danger-waiver evidence, hearing, debt- avoidance warning, and IFP route. Current adult packet, petition, and waiver request (accessed July 26, 2026).
• Nebraska Judicial Branch fee schedule. Current $144 Category 1 district- court civil total. Official schedule (effective July 1, 2026; accessed July 26, 2026).