Change Your Name in Hawaii

There are different circumstances in which you may wish to legally change your name in the state of Hawaii. Divorce, marriage, and other personal reasons all may cause a person to seek a name change. The circumstances under which a name may be changed are set out in Hawaii Revised Statutes §574-5.[1]Like all states, the state of Hawaii has specific procedures that must be followed in order to legally change your name.

Steps

Preparing the Necessary Paperwork

  1. Create and log into your ehawaii.gov account. In order to use the online name change system, you must create a free ehawaii.gov account through the state of Hawaii website, if you don't already have one.[2] Once you have created an account, log into your account and choose the type of application that you wish to complete.
  2. Fill out all required forms. Using the online process provided by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, you will provide all necessary information, which includes general information about you, your family, and your current and past names. This information will then be used to generate the required forms for your name change application.
  3. Pay the required filing and administrative fees. Once you have filled out the information required to complete the forms, you must pay a non-refundable $50.00 filing fee and a $5.00 administrative fee online. These fees must be paid by credit card or e-Check. Until you pay the fee, you cannot save or download your forms.
  4. Download and print the required forms. You should use only one side of the paper when you print the forms. Make sure that there is a barcode that prints out at the bottom of each form. If no barcode appears, you will need to reprint the forms. There are four documents that you must file with the Lieutenant Governor’s Office. [3]
    • Name Change Petition
    • Notice of Change of Name
    • Hawaii Fact Sheet
    • Order
  5. Make six copies of the Order and one copy of each of the other forms. You will submit all of these copies to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office. Double-check in order to make sure that all of the forms are filled out completely before you submit them.
  6. Sign the Name Change Petition in front of a Notary Public. The Notary Public must have been commissioned by the State of Hawaii. You often can find a Notary Public at your local bank or credit union. After you sign the petition, the notary public will notarize your petition.

Filing the Required Documents with the Hawaii Lieutenant Governor’s Office

  1. Deliver or mail your completed forms to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. That office is located at the Hawaii State Capitol, 415 S Beretania St, 5th Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. Make sure that you have enclosed not only your forms, but all other required documents, as well.
  2. Submit a certified copy of your birth certificate along with your paperwork. If you were born in Hawaii, you can obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate from the Hawaii State Department of Health. [4]; if you were born in another state, you should contact the state health department in that state in order to get a certified copy of your birth certificate.
  3. Submit a copy of your marriage certificate or civil union license. This step is only required for a name change if you are changing your name due to a recent marriage or civil union.
  4. Submit a copy of your divorce decree. This step is only required if you are changing your name due to a recent divorce. However, if your divorce decree provides that your name should be changed, you don't have to go through this name change process.
  5. Enclose two self-addressed stamped envelopes with your application. One envelope should a self-addressed #10 envelope with first-class postage on it. The second envelope should be a self-addressed large manila envelope with $2.00 of postage on it. These envelopes will allow the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to return the required documents back to you for your records. You should always keep a copy of these documents for your personal records.
  6. Provide other documents that are required by your situation. Depending on your circumstances, you may have to provide certain other documents along with your name change forms. These forms will vary according to whether you or your minor child is requesting a name change, and why you are requesting a name change.
    • You may have to provide a copy of the death certificate for your child’s other parent, if you are requesting a name change for your minor child.
    • You may have to provide a copy of a paternity decree for your child if you are requesting a name change for your minor child who was born out of wedlock.
    • You may have to provide a copy of an adoption decree for your child if you are requesting a name change for your minor child who has been adopted.
    • You may have to provide a copy of a guardianship decree if you are requesting a name change for your minor child who is subject to a guardianship.
    • You have to provide a copy of a prior name change decree if you previously changed your name.

Finalizing Your Name Change

  1. Send the Notice of Name Change to any newspaper that serves your area. The newspaper must publish the Notice for at least one day. The publication must occur within sixty (60) days of the date that your Notice was signed by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
  2. Pay the required fee to the newspaper for publishing your Notice of Name Change. You can contact the Star Advertiser at (808) 529-4344 or by email at legals@staradvertiser.com for information about the amount of the required fees. You may find that some newspapers charge lesser fees than others, so it may be worth checking with several different newspapers in your area.
    • After publication of your Notice has occurred, the newspaper will send an affidavit of publication to both you and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
    • Once the Lieutenant Governor’s Office has received the publication affidavit, the Lieutenant Governor will sign the Order and send a copy to you.
  3. Receive the original Order back from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. This Order, which now has been signed by the Lieutenant Governor, officially changes your name with the State of Hawaii. It serves as legal proof that you have changed your name.
  4. File the Order with the Hawaii Bureau of Conveyances. The order must be filed with this office within sixty (60) days of the date on which it was signed. You also must submit a nonrefundable $31.00 filing fee along with the Order.[5]
    • In order to file the Order by mail, send the Order, along with a $31.00 check or money order made payable to “Bureau of Conveyances,” to Bureau of Conveyances, PO Box 2867, Honolulu, HI 96803.
    • In order to file the Order in person, take the Order, along with $31.00 in cash or a check or money order made payable to “Bureau of Conveyances,” to the Bureau of Conveyances, which is located at 1151 Punchbowl St, Honolulu, HI.
  5. Use your Order to change your name as needed. There are a variety of government and private offices with which you must change your name. These offices may include your local Social Security Administration office, your local department of motor vehicles office, your doctor's offices, the local court system if you pay or receive child support, your children's schools, and other offices. Some offices will require a copy of the Order, whereas other offices may simply take your word for it that you have legally changed your name.
    • Once you have received the Order signed by the Lieutenant Governor, it is best to go to your local Social Security Administration office first in order to order a new Social Security card.
    • Once you have received your new Social Security card in the mail, you can change your name on your driver’s license, your bank accounts, and your employer, as well as any other offices with which you need to change your name.
    • If your divorce decree provides for you to reassume your maiden name or a previous name, it is not necessary to use this process to change your name, as your name already has been legally changed.
    • If you were not born in the United States, you must also submit a foreign birth certificate that has been translated into English and an alien registration card or valid passport, or an Original Certificate of Naturalization, along with the other required documents.

Tips

  • If you need help filling out the application forms or have questions about name change procedures, you can contact (808) 695-4620 for Customer Support or the Office of the Lieutenant Governor at (808) 685-4620.
  • The Office of the Lieutenant Governor cannot give you legal advice. For legal advice, you should contact an attorney who is licensed to practice law in the state of Hawaii.
  • You are required to have a copy of your birth certificate that is no older than 90 days.



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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrs2006/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0574/HRS_0574-0005 .HTM?_ga=1.178103205.1840315177.1432040088
  2. ↑ https://login.ehawaii.gov/lala/login?service=https%3A%2F%2Fnamechange.ehawaii.gov%2Fj_spring_cas_security_check
  3. ↑ https://namechange.ehawaii.gov/public/welcome.html
  4. ↑ https://vitrec.ehawaii.gov/vitalrecords/
  5. ↑ http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/boc/boc Hawaii Bureau of Conveyances
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