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

A Florida adult name change costs $400 to file with the clerk of the circuit court — $401 in Broward and Miami-Dade — plus a fingerprint-based FDLE and FBI background check that the statute substitutes for newspaper publication. Certified copies of the final judgment run $1 per page plus a $2 certification charge, and you will want several.

Florida name change fees at a glance

The $400 figure is the Alachua County Clerk's published charge in its adult name-change packet (Packet 10): filing fee $400, notary fee $5 per signature, copies $1.00 per page. Broward County's clerk publishes $401 on its fees and costs schedule, and Miami-Dade's family self-help programme likewise lists a $401 clerk filing fee for a name change — the one-dollar difference is a county service charge layered on the circuit-court civil filing fee structure in Fla. Stat. §28.241. That near-uniformity is the story in Florida: unlike Texas name changes or the county-set deposits in many states, Florida's petition is a circuit civil filing and costs roughly the same $400 everywhere. The general 50-state comparison is on the name change costs hub, and the wider state picture is in the Florida court costs guide.

What the petition must swear to

Chapter 68, Florida Statutes (§68.07), governs the change of name. The verified petition — Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.982(a) for an adult, 12.982(c) for a family, and 12.982(e) for a minor — must state, among other things, that the petitioner is a bona fide resident of and domiciled in the county of filing, a five-year employment history, every prior name, any bankruptcies or judgments, every arrest or criminal charge regardless of outcome, and whether the petitioner is required to register as a sexual offender or predator. The statute's purpose is anti-fraud: the court must be satisfied the petition is not filed for an ulterior or illegal purpose and that civil rights are not being evaded. One significant exception saves both money and time: a petitioner restoring a former name is exempt from the fingerprint requirement and may be heard promptly after filing.

How the case runs

1. Complete Form 12.982(a) and sign it under oath before a notary or deputy clerk $5 per signature if notarised at the Alachua clerk
2. File the petition with the clerk of the circuit court in your county of residence, in person or through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal $400–$401 by county
3. Take the clerk's Livescan instructions to an FDLE-authorised provider and have fingerprints submitted for the state and national criminal-history check; the court may not set the hearing until the results reach the clerk provider-set fee, paid separately
4. Attend the short hearing with a completed Final Judgment form (12.982(b)); most unopposed petitions are granted the same day.
5. Order certified copies of the judgment for Social Security, DHSMV, your bank and your passport $1 per page + $2 per certification

Minors, families and the costs people miss

A name change for a minor uses the same filing-fee structure — Miami-Dade's self-help schedule lists the same $401 clerk fee for a minor's name change — but both parents must ordinarily consent or be served, and the court applies a best-interests test rather than the adult anti-fraud test. A family petition can change several related names in one filing. The costs filers forget are downstream, not at the clerk's window: replacing a Florida driver licence or ID card at DHSMV, a new U.S. passport book at the State Department's published fee, and amended birth certificates through the Bureau of Vital Statistics each carry their own agency charges, none of which this page prices because none are court fees. What the court side will not include, ever, is publication: Florida repealed the newspaper-notice model in favour of the fingerprint check, which is why a Florida name change is cheaper in total friction than the publication states compared on the name change hub, even though its filing fee is higher than California's or New York's.

Can't afford the fee?

Florida's civil indigent status application, Fla. Stat. §57.082, is decided by the clerk in the first instance. A household at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines qualifies, subject to an asset test; if the clerk denies the application, a judge reviews it and may grant relief where payment would create a substantial hardship. A granted application defers the filing fee and covers certified copies needed from the clerk. See the fee waiver guide for the national picture.

Sources: Alachua County Clerk of Court — Packet 10, Petition for Name Change of an Adult (filing fee $400; notary $5 per signature; copies $1.00 per page) · Broward County Clerk of Courts — Fees and Costs ($401) · Eleventh Judicial Circuit (Miami-Dade) — Family Court Self-Help Program fee table (name change clerk fee $401) · Fla. Stat. ch. 68 (§68.07), §§28.241 (circuit filing fees), 28.24 (clerk service charges; certification $2, copies $1 per page), 57.082 (civil indigent status). Last verified: October 2026 — confirm current figures with your clerk of the circuit court.