So, it's about time that I get the ball rolling on legally changing my name.  (Just in case there are any interested Michigan residents, a lot of information for a name change can be found here: http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/selfhelp/family/nc_help.htm#authority).

BUT, the cost for filing a petition for name change is $150, plus some additional smaller fees.  Ouch.  And that's just for a petition--something that may be turned down without refund, if I understand this correctly.  So my question to you all is this: when is the best time to petition for a name change?  Does how far you are along in your transition have any impact on whether the name change is granted or not?

Hm... and another piece from that website: "file it [the name change petition] with the circuit court in the county where you live."  Damn & double damn.  Not that I didn't see this coming, but since I'm not registered as a resident of my college-town, I believe the "county where I live" will be the county where my parents' place is, though I haven't lived there in several years.  If so, I know the court it will be filed with and I know the people who work there.  They are also very well-acquainted with my father (who worked in that courthouse at one time) and grandparents (who hold public office)... and I have reason to believe some will make hell for my family if they catch wind of their 'daughter/granddaughter' changing 'her' name to a male one.  They're not all friendly people and they would love a reason to hurt my family, though I can't say my family wouldn't do the same to them (small-town politics stuff).

Although I can request the name change to be confidential and unpublished in the local news journal, I don't know if I can trust them to act in a professional manner when it comes to personal gossip.  They haven't done so in the past.  Ah, the joy of a small town--everybody knows everybody, and everybody knows everybody else's business. >.<

I would check with the court and see if you can do it in your college town, esp. if your hometown is far away.  It was $150 in my state also.

Jay

Hi Eryk:

$150 seems to be fairly typical, but if you are genuinely poor, you may not have to pay it.

See: Financial Waiver Affidavit on Susan's Wiki.

This is a request to the county to pay the costs as you are too poor.
People should not be disbarred from legal remedies due to poverty.

Name changes are rarely turned down.  Petition is just a legal term.  You may also have to run the name change in a newspaper for five days or so.  I wonder what they will do with that when there are no more newpapers.

Quote from: Eryk on January 21, 2009, 11:05:33 PM
BUT, the cost for filing a petition for name change is $150, plus some additional smaller fees.  Ouch.  And that's just for a petition--something that may be turned down without refund, if I understand this correctly.  So my question to you all is this: when is the best time to petition for a name change?  Does how far you are along in your transition have any impact on whether the name change is granted or not?

Lucky!  In Jersey its $200, plus additional smaller fees.

QuoteName changes are rarely turned down.  Petition is just a legal term.

You do not know small town politics. Especially when judges are elected. Non want to accused of granting an immoral act.  Mine was turned down at first because the judge said he only deals with lawyers. It cost me $2500 to get a lawyer 100 miles away that would fight with the judge. Then the judge argued that his order would not change any legal documents from other states. It was a nightmare but it was finally changed.  Local lawyers all told me they have to make a living and that they would not go against the judge.

He's talking about doing it in college town in Michigan, like in modern America.  Yeah, it's really different in some of the deep rural sections of the South, and Midwest.  In most modern states its just a simple deal, they have forms online you can fill out yourself and send in in California.

Well, glad to know that the $150 fee is about normal, I guess...  Thanks for the heads up on the waiver Renate.  I don't think I'd feel right using it, though; I do have enough money to pay for rent and food, so I'm not truly destitute.  It's just that money is tight and, well, y'know how expensive transition can get.  It just hurts doubly 'cuz college is another big expense.

Quote from: tekla on January 22, 2009, 11:34:48 AM
He's talking about doing it in college town in Michigan, like in modern America.

Actually, neither my home town (population 400) nor my college town (pop. 6,000--permanent residents only) can be rightly called 'modern America.'  Both are in a very closed-off geographic region of Michigan that is analogous to the deep South in terms of the tolerance of the locals and how deeply religion plays into their everyday lives & politics.  In my home town, if you are not white, Catholic, and straight, you are regarded very suspiciously. Anything out of their 'ordinary' will be ostracized (know this one from experience); outright harassment and violence also occur.  I'd like to think my college town is better than this simply because it is larger and, because of the university and its students/professors, has more ethnic & religious diversity.  Unfortunately, non-white students are still stared at and talked down to by some locals; African American students report having had garbage & the 'n-word' thrown at them; GLBT students have received death threats.  When I said college town in Michigan, I unfortunately did not mean Ann Arbor or any of the other larger 'modern' college towns downstate.  (Not complaining, I'm the one who chose to go to school here--just letting off some steam.)

Quote from: lisagurl on January 22, 2009, 11:27:13 AM
You do not know small town politics. Especially when judges are elected. Non want to accused of granting an immoral act.

Sounds like familiar behavior.  Actually, funny anecdote: when I was in elementary school and it was time to learn about the dinosaurs in science class, every student had to get a permission slip signed by their parents.  Apparently some parents got very, very mad at the administration when the school tried to teach their children about dinosaurs without their permission.  Yes, there still are people in our town who vehemently and religiously deny the existence of dinosaurs.  When we finally got to learn about good 'ol T-Rex, it felt like a very taboo subject.  The same permission-slip policy was in place when it came time to learn about Darwin and evolution, too.

I really hope I'm worrying for nothing about this name change, but... like I said, I know the people I grew up around.  I'll try to find out if I can do the name change through the court in my college town; if nothing else, it will save my family some (inevitable) trouble.

Well then you might have trouble, on the good side, I'm sure places like Cali and New York have much larger fees.

I've lived in NY, CA and Michigan. Michigan is terrible, terrible when it comes to the laws protecting consumers and and government fees,policies, et cetera.  (I am currently in Northern CA.) I am sorry for your predicament! But just think about how great you will feel once it is behind you and your new name is on your DL. Good luck!

In California, name change is $350 plus fees to run a legal notice in a newpaper.  So $150 sounds like a bargin. I vote for you filing in your collage town as thats where you live.  Nobody checks anyway, they just need the addess to be in the county where it's filed.  Of course the papers need to be filed with the state court which means the state court thats normally located in the town that's the county seat, whcih may not be your parents town but the sound of it.  When I ran the legal notice I use the smallest legal newspaper in a city I did not live in.

Beni

Move to Nebraska  $79.00 + $35.00 for publishing in local paper.

Previous post:

Quote from: Dora on July 28, 2008, 06:00:22 PM
I recently completed the process of changing my name in Nebraska and thought I would post how I did it here in case someone from Nebraska happens to do a search on it. (Unlikely, but who knows?) 

I had started my "full time experience" so I decided it was time to get my name legally changed. I first tried the lawyer route and after getting a couple of quotes of $600+ I was now motivated to do it myself.

Unfortunately, there is little information on the web about changing your name in Nebraska. After searching on Google I did find several websites online that offer name change kits for a fee (usually around $30.00). I was about to order a kit when I stumbled across the Nebraska Judicial Branch web site where all the instructions and forms you will need are available for free (!!!)

LINK =  Nebraska Name Forms and Instructions

At the top of their webpage is a warning about doing it yourself, which did make me hesitate at first, but again, the $600+ lawyer's fee was enough for me to continue on. Taking a deep breath I read the instructions, filled out the forms, paid my $79.00 to the lady at the county court and submitted the legal notice form to my local newspaper to be published. 5 weeks later I was standing before the judge. He looked at my papers, looked at me, asked a couple of questions and in less then 6 minutes I went from john to Dora. (Yea!)

I was nervous that something would go wrong, but it all worked out fine. The entire process took about 6 weeks from start to finish and it was much easier to do then I had imagined.

Dora

PS. I also had no problems changing my name on my NE driver's license -- just take your certified name change document with you. Unfortunately, Nebraska will not change you gender marker without GRS letter. 

I guess I'll have it a bit easier in NC, if I understand the procedure correctly.  I have to post a bulletin in the court house for ten days, then file a name change document at a cost of $50.00.  I will be looking into this just as soon as I re-introduce my gender issues with my wife...

I had to pay £50.00 for the Deed Poll certificate. And £80.00 for the new passport. That was
all I had to pay so its about the same amount as you have/going to pay.

Quote from: Beni on January 22, 2009, 10:26:08 PM
In California, name change is $350 plus fees to run a legal notice in a newpaper.  So $150 sounds like a bargain.

Popping in and can't resist bragging.  The grand total for all my transition related legal fees here in New Hampshire was $62.  That's a legal name change, new driver's license, name and gender change on my new birth certificate (original sealed forever) and another new driver's license. All for $62.