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How much does it cost to change your name in Alaska?

A legal name change in Alaska costs $200 to file — the same fee for an adult changing their own name and for a parent changing a child's name, under the Alaska Court System's official Filing Fees schedule (effective May 1, 2023). The case is filed in the Superior Court under AS 09.55.010 and Civil Rule 84, the Court System publishes complete form packets for both adults (CIV-698) and children (CIV-692), and — the cheapest route of all — a name change asked for inside a divorce or dissolution costs nothing extra, because it is decided as part of that case.

Alaska name change fees at a glance

Alaska prices name changes as a single statewide case type: the Court System's fee table lists "Change of Name (child or adult)" at $200, and its name-change FAQ repeats the same $200 figure for both packets. There is no county variation and no separate publication fee collected by the court — Alaska instead publishes name-change petitions and judgments itself, on the Court System's Legal Notices pages, which list new change-of-name requests and judgments and are updated daily. That is a genuine structural difference from states where the petitioner must buy a newspaper legal notice at market rates: in Alaska the notice function is handled inside the court system, so the $200 filing fee is very close to the whole court-side cost of the case. The national comparison is on the name change costs hub and the wider state picture on the Alaska court costs guide.

The procedure: AS 09.55.010 and Civil Rule 84

The Alaska Court System's FAQ states the framework plainly. An adult — over 18 — petitions the Superior Court to change their own name; a child's name can only be changed on a petition filed by an adult on the child's behalf. AS 09.55.010 gives the Superior Court the power to hear name-change cases and sets the standard the court applies in deciding whether to grant one, and Civil Rule 84 establishes the procedure. The packets (CIV-698 for adults, CIV-692 for children) contain the instructions and every required form, and are available at every court location and on the Court System's forms page. For a child's name change, notice to a parent who does not join the petition is a central step — the Court System's Legal Notices pages include a dedicated "Notice to Absent Parent: Child's Name Change" category — and a contested child name change is decided on the child's interests, not simply on the filing parent's preference. A name change will not be granted to evade debts, judgments or other legal obligations; expect the court to ask about the reason for the change at the hearing.

The free route: changing your name in a divorce

If the name change follows a marriage breakdown, do not open a $200 standalone case without checking the divorce route first. Alaska law provides for changing a spouse's name inside the divorce or dissolution itself — AS 25.24.165 for divorce and AS 25.24.230(f) for dissolution, both named in the Court System's FAQ — so a spouse who asks in that case can have the former name restored in the decree for no additional filing fee beyond the $250 the family case already cost (see Alaska divorce costs). The standalone $200 petition is the route for everyone else: adults changing a name for personal, professional or family reasons unconnected with a pending divorce, and parents changing a child's name outside any other case.

How the case runs

1. Get the right packet — CIV-698 for an adult, CIV-692 for a child — from the clerk or the Court System forms page, and complete the petition
2. File the petition in the Superior Court and pay the filing fee $200
3. Complete any required notice — for a child's case, notice to a non-joining parent is the step that most often needs care
4. Attend the hearing; the court applies the AS 09.55.010 standard and, if satisfied, signs the judgment changing the name
5. Use certified copies of the judgment to update Social Security, the DMV, passport, school and bank records — those agencies set their own document charges, which are not court fees

What a name change really costs beyond the clerk

Alaska's structure keeps the beyond-the-clerk list short. There is no newspaper publication bill to budget for, because public notice runs through the Court System's own Legal Notices pages. The remaining costs are the small, predictable ones: certified copies of the judgment (you will want several — one for each agency and record holder), and whatever the Social Security Administration, DMV, passport office, school or vital-records office charges for reissued documents, none of which is a court fee and none of which this page prices. Attorney fees are rarely necessary for an uncontested adult petition using the CIV-698 packet, but a contested child's name change is a different matter and is priced by the attorney, not the court. Compare structures in Washington family filings via the state guide, or see how other states price the same case on the name change hub — several charge more at the window and then add a publication bill on top.

Can't afford the fee?

The Alaska Court System provides a fee-waiver request (Form TF-920) for filers who cannot pay, decided by a judge on the sworn request. File it with the petition rather than afterwards. The general mechanics are explained in the fee waiver guide.

Sources: Alaska Court System — Filing Fees & Fee Waiver page (courts.alaska.gov/shc/courtfees.htm), schedule effective May 1, 2023: Change of Name (child or adult) $200; Divorce, Dissolution, Custody or Paternity $250; register foreign guardianship/conservatorship order $50 · Alaska Court System — Frequently Asked Questions, "How do I change my name?": packets CIV-692 (children) and CIV-698 (adults), filing fee $200, Civil Rule 84, AS 09.55.010, AS 25.24.165 and AS 25.24.230(f) · Alaska Court System — Legal Notices pages (name change requests and judgments published by the court, updated daily). Last verified: October 2026 — confirm current figures with your Superior Court clerk.