I did my name change about 6 months ago, but am still waiting on the letter from my Endo for my Gender marker change. Hopefully, I'll get it in a few weeks at my next visit. As for the name change process, it varies by state and county. In my county --
1) Got Fingerprinted (Electronic). This cost about $75. I could have done them cheaper at the Sheriff's Office, but they have very limited hours. They took I believe 7 Business Days to come back.
2) Went down to the Clerk of Courts and filed my petition. They checked and my prints hadn't come back yet. I was given another form to request a court date, but told I couldn't file it until my prints came back.
3) Kept checking and a few days later my prints came back. So, I faxed my Request for a Court Date.
4) I hear from someone else about some extra documents having to be submitted (which were not mentioned when I filed) -- See end of #5. I'm a little worried.
5) I hear nothing, while a friend who filed the day before me gets her court date. I keep calling, but the folks at the Clerk's Office insist it is "Being Processed" and that it ALWAYS takes at least 30 days. BS. My friend heard back within a couple days of filing her request for a court date telling her she needed to file additional documents.
6) Eventually (after multiple phone calls), I get a call from the person who schedules things telling me I need to submit additional documents (expected). Apparently, they had stuck my fax on a shelf and forgotten about it. Lesson learned -- ALWAYS do everything in person; NEVER fax anything in. They want a certified copy of my Birth Certificate and a copy of my State ID (Driver's License) and Social Security Card.
7) I head down to the Health Dept. to get a copy of my Birth Certificate. Fortunately, I still live in the state I was born in, so I was able to get copies of my BC during my Lunch break.
I had lost my Social Security card, but had a scanned copy saved on a computer as I had needed to submit it for jobs before I got a US Passport in 2006. I printed that out (the lady had said I could file with that, but I would need to get a new SS Card before she could give me an actual court date because the judge might ask to see it) and took everything down to the Clerk of Courts along with the form to suppress my SS Number from becoming public record. I had also gone down to Social Security to apply for a new card.
This time, I hear back the next day. Everything was good. I just needed to give her a call whenever I received my new SS Card. My new card came a week later and I gave her a call. She gave me a choice of court dates. I picked the Tuesday date as this would allow me to get SS, DMV, et al. done before the weekend.
9) Court date came. I went to the courthouse. Bailiff asked for my State ID (never asked for my BC or SS Card). She couldn't locate my file. Beginning to feel cursed. Eventually, she located it. It had been left behind when they grabbed the stack of cases (mine was on the bottom of the stack). So, everything was finally set.
10) There were a couple of uncontested divorces and a motion in a slip and fall case before my case, but these were disposed of relatively quickly. I was sworn in and asked the same questions that were on the petition - was I dodging creditors/the law, etc...I answered and the judge ordered my name changed.
11) After everyone who was getting a name change was done, those of us who needed certified copies were escorted downstairs. As the copies were cheap ($2/each if I remember correctly), I got several and headed to Social Security. I had gathered the required documents ahead of time. I took my Birth Certificate, Passport, and W2 just in case...plus the court order.
12) Social Security took about 2 hours and I headed to one of my banks to change the name on my account. I was able to change that with only the court order.
13) I grabbed Lunch and figured since I was already down there anyways, I would take my vehicle by the dealer for a free (4 Free Oil Changes as I purchased New) oil change (It was due).
14) After this, I had to go to work as I had only taken half a day off. That night, I requested a name change with PayPal, but they said they needed a copy of my new License.
15) The next day, I went down to the DMV (with the required documents + my court order) when they opened (I had made an appointment prior to my court date). Florida requires you to update Social Security at least a day before updating your license. I was in and out pretty quickly. As my tags was coming up for renewal, I got that renewed while I was changing my name.
16) I went down to my Cableco and change my name with them. I changed my name with my various banks and creditors. Typically, credit cards require this to be done by mail, but banks can be changed in person at a branch. Unfortunately, you still have to change the name on any (non Debit) credit cards issued through the bank separately by mail, because Credit Cards are a different department. How stupid.
17) I changed my name with my employer. They made me file a new I9 and W4, so I had to wait a week to get my new SS Card before they would change the name on my paychecks and insurance.
18) Insurance took a little while to get me a new card. In the mean time I had an Endo visit. I was worried that the name changing might cause a problem with my insurance claim, but it didn't.
The legal process took about a month, but if you know how to time everything (I didn't) and have all the required documents (I also didn't), you could probably go from fingerprints to court date in 2 weeks. This only applies to my County, but in this county, your best bet would be to start on a Monday. Then, they should get your prints back by the following Wednesday, allowing you to file your request for a court date and hear back before the end of the week, allowing you to get a court date the following week.
