This complete guide on how to change your name in Camden County has been organized for those individuals who are trying to change their names in Camden, County, New Jersey. The whole legal name change procedure in New Jersey will take approximately two to four weeks to complete and consists of four steps. Your name change must be filed at the New Jersey Superior Court, Law Division, Civil Part in the New Jersey county in which you currently reside. Thus, if you live in Camden County, New Jersey, you will file your name change application in the Camden County Superior Court.
Step 1. Filing the Name Change Documents
The first step in the name change process is to fill out the proper name change documents to file with the Camden County Superior Court. These pleadings include:
- Name Change Complaint;
- Order Fixing Hearing Date;
- Final Judgment; and
- Civil Case Information Statement.
The documents will contain your basic contact information and will explain to the court what your current legal name is as well as what you would like to change your name to. They will also explain the reason for your name change.
If you are represented by a lawyer, your attorney will draft these pleadings for you and will manage the entire name change procedure for you. The only thing you would have to do is sign and notarize the name change complaint after your attorney drafts it and attend the hearing with your lawyer. If a lawyer does not represent you, the Newest Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts has organized a pro se box packet containing sample legal name change forms to assist you with the process.
Once your name change documents have been drafted, they must be signed and notarized and thereafter filed with the court along with the court filing fee. As explained above, your name change application must be filed with the county superior court in the county in which you currently reside. Click here for a county directory of New Jersey Superior Courts.
If you reside in Camden County, New Jersey, your pleadings will need to be filed with the Camden County Superior Court at the following address:
Clerk, Camden County Superior Court,
Law Division, Civil Part
101 South 5th Street
Camden, NJ 08103
Currently, the filing fee for a name change is $250.00.
Step 2. Publication/Notice Requirements Before the Hearing
Once the name change documents have been filed with the court, the Court Clerk will return a filed copy of your documents as well as the Order Fixing Hearing Date. On the Order Fixing Hearing Date, the court will indicate when your name change hearing will take place. It will also indicate the name of the newspaper where you will have to publish the Order Fixing Hearing Date.
The pleadings returned by the court will also contain a docket number. The docket number is the case number that the court assigned to your name change application. You must use the docket number on all future correspondence regarding your case.
After receiving the filed documents from the court, you should immediately contact the newspaper and request that they publish the Order Fixing Hearing Date. According to New Jersey Court Rule 4:72-3, the Order Fixing Hearing Date must be published at least two weeks before your scheduled hearing date.
In addition, you must notify any interested parties of your name change. For example, if you presently have criminal charges pending, you are required to notify the county prosecutor where the charges are pending and/or the New Jersey Attorney General of your application. Also, if you are trying to change the name of a minor change, the other biological parent must be notified of the application.
Before your hearing date, you must provide the court with proof that you satisfied the publication requirement. Once the newspaper actually publishes your notice, they will send you an Affidavit of Publication as proof that the notice was published. You must then provide the original Affidavit of Publication to the court. You will also need to send the court proof that you notified any other interested parties of your application.
Step 3. Go to the Hearing
When scheduled, you will need to appear at your hearing. So long as there are no objections to your application, the court will likely grant your name change request and then provide you with a Final Judgment. The Final Judgment is an order signed by the judge granting your name change.
When you are at the hearing, you should request extra certified copies of the Final Judgment so that you can notify the Department of Treasury, the Department of Vital Statistics, Social Security, and the Motor Vehicle Commission of your name change. We therefore recommend that you request 3-4 extra certified copies of the Final Judgment.
Step 4. Publication/Notice Requirements After the Hearing
After your hearing, you will have to publish the Final Judgment in the newspaper in. According to New Jersey Court Rule 4:72-4, it must be published no later than 20 days after the date on the Final Judgment. Upon receipt, you will need to send the original Affidavit of Publication to the court to satisfy the publication requirement.
In addition, you will need to notify the following of your name change:
- New Jersey Department of Treasury – within 45 days of the final judgment, you will need to send a certified copy of the Final Judgment to the New Jersey Department of the Treasury with a check in the amount of $50.00. Complete instructions for notifying the New Jersey Department of the Treasury can be found on their website.
- Department of Vital Statistics – you will also need to send a certified copy of the Final Judgment to the Department of Vital Statistics for whichever state you were born in. Complete instructions for the New Jersey Department of Vital Statistics can be found on their website.
- Social Security Administration – you will also need to either appear in person or mail your certified Final Judgement and proper identification to your local Social Security office. Instructions can be found on the Social Security Administration’s website.
- Motor Vehicle Commission – in order to change your name with the New Jersey MVC, you will need to appear in person at a MVC with a certified copy of the Final Judgment and identification.
Other Resources
For more information on the New Jersey name change procedure, see the New Jersey Statutes and Court Rules regarding name changes.
If you are representing yourself on your New Jersey name change, review the New Jersey Name Change Pro Se Packet for additional guidance.
For answers to commonly asked questions regarding the name change procedure in New Jersey, review our Name Change FAQ post.
For information on various name change issues, please read our Name Change Blog.
Camden County Name Change Lawyers
If you can afford a lawyer, it is highly recommended that you retain one in order to assist handle your New Jersey legal name change. This is because the various procedural rules and requirements applicable to name change applications in New Jersey are complex.
If you have questions about how to change your name in Camden County, New Jersey, contact us today for a free consultation. You can reach us at 856-832-2482.
