I went to go pick up the paper work to change my name from my county court (in Maine) the other day and was told that I'd need to have a copy of my credit report along with some other documents. The problem is I don't have any credit yet because I've just recently turned 18.
Why do they need my credit report? Is there some way I can get around this so I don't have to build credit before I can change my name?
They do it to make sure that you aren't changing your name to avoid debt collection. It's pretty common for courts to look into your financial history for a name change. Since you just turned 18, I'm surprised that they won't waive that requirement for you. Have you talked to a supervisor and explained your position?
Ah, that makes sense I suppose. I'll have to make some calls on Monday and see if they'll waive it for me. Thanks so much :)
If they won't then just request the report. It will just be empty and you're entitled to a free one every year.
What Dee Marshall should apply - request the report even though it probably won't have anything on it (and don't worry about not having any history; that's perfectly okay in your case). The court is probably making sure you're not trying to evade any debts or get a "clean slate" by changing your name (which neither would be true for you).