Legal Name Change in Colorado

There are many reasons why someone would change their name legally. We’re given our names at birth, and they’re a part of every aspect of our lives. People know and refer to us by our name. We sign documents, conduct business, and the Government issues birth certificates, driver licenses, and Social Security cards in our name.  So changing one’s name legally is a significant process, and one we can assist you with. Adults 18 years of age are older who have not been convicted of a felony under the law of any U.S. state or federal law may legally change their name by petitioning for a judicial decree. This Decree for Name Change serves as evidence of your name change. 

How to change your name in Colorado mostly depends on your situation.  

Marriage

Marriage is the most common reason for name changes. Couples take one spouse’s name, hyphenate or combine their names, or otherwise modify their names. A Colorado state marriage license serves as proof of a marital name change. Fill out the marriage license and certificate in your existing, pre-marriage name. Colorado gives you the option to sign the certificate in your new name once the marriage is finalized. Once the ceremony is performed, your marriage license can be used to update other documents.

Divorce

Many separating or divorcing spouses want to move on from their marital name. Colorado allows a divorcing party to change their name back after divorce or separation. You can request this as part of a normal divorce filing and a court will generally grant this request. You can also restore your previous name after the divorce is final too.

Other Reasons

Other motivation may be conforming your legal name to conform to gender identity for transgender individuals or aligning with a name that you have gone by for many years. 

Petition for a Change of Name

You can also file a petition for a change of name in court. This is a more protracted process, but one Muhaisen & Muhaisen, LLC is very familiar with. Petitioning for a name change generally involves:

• Filling out a petition and filing it with your local court;
• Verifying the petition by affidavit;
• Laying out the reasons for seeking a name change;
• Submitting a criminal history check, at your expense, to the court and disclosing any additional criminal dispositions;
• Publishing notice of your petition in a local newspaper three times, and filing proof of publication with the court;
• Attending a court hearing where the court will consider your petition.

Petitions can be denied if the name change would be detrimental to anyone else, is made for a fraudulent or illegal purpose, or would be improper in the eyes of the judge. Convicted felons face a higher mountain to climb and are ordinarily prohibited from changing their names, though there are some narrow exceptions.

If you prove all the required elements, the court can grant your petition and issue an order changing your name. You will then need to get certified copies of that order, as they’ll be necessary to update your Social Security card and driver license.

Contact us to change your name

Our attorneys are experienced and ready to prepare and file your name-change case. For a consultation call 303-872-0084 of use the contact form: https://www.m2lawyers.com/contact-us/

Disclaimer: The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information contained in this post should be construed as legal advice from Muhaisen & Muhaisen, LLC. or the individual author, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, this Post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction