How to Change Your Name in the ACT: Eligibility, the $152 Fee and the Rules for Young People

An adult who is domiciled or resident in the Australian Capital Territory, or whose birth is registered there, can apply to Access Canberra for a change of name certificate for $152.00, with no minimum length of residency required.

This page covers the Australian Capital Territory's own rules in detail. For how a name change works across every Australian state and territory, see how to legally change your name in Australia.

Who Can Apply

An adult can apply to change their name in the Australian Capital Territory under section 18 of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1997 (ACT) if they are domiciled or resident in the Territory, or if their birth is registered there. Unlike some other Australian jurisdictions, the Act sets no minimum length of residency for an adult: it uses only the undefined terms domiciled or resident, with no duration attached anywhere in the section.

Access Canberra's own guidance splits this into two practical tracks. A person born in the ACT may apply regardless of where they currently live. A person born outside the ACT, including overseas, must currently be an ACT resident and supply proof of that residency; if born overseas, they must also supply a passport, Australian Citizenship Certificate, or current Australian visa as part of their proof of identity. Neither track states a minimum time period.

How Often You Can Change Your Name

Access Canberra's published guidance states that only one change of name can be registered within a 12-month period. This limit is not stated as a numbered section of the Act itself: Part 3 of the Act, which sets out the change of name process, contains no lifetime cap and no explicit 12-month figure in its own text. Whether this rule comes from the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Regulation or is purely Access Canberra's administrative practice is not confirmed here. Either way, it is the rule Access Canberra currently states and applies.

The Fee

As of August 2026, Access Canberra's published fee for an application to register a change of name, for a child or an adult, is $152.00. This is a genuine reduction from $221.00 the previous financial year, not a website error: a Wayback Machine comparison of the same page shows $221.00 under a 2025-26 fee heading in July 2025 and February 2026, and $152.00 under a 2026-2027 fee heading from around 1 July 2026 onward. Access Canberra's fees page still carries a leftover caption reading correct as at 1 July 2025 on one line, which was not updated when the fee changed for the new financial year. That caption should be disregarded in favour of the same page's own Fee as at 1 July 2026 and 2026-2027 fee headings, both of which show $152.00. The fee is the same whether the application is for a child or an adult.

From 1 July 2026, this fee is waived where the application is for gender affirmation purposes, alongside related fees for altering a sex marker on the register. A person changing their name for any other reason still pays the standard $152.00.

Changing a Child's Name

Under section 19 of the Act, the parents of a child, defined as both parents jointly, generally apply together to change a child's name, if the child is domiciled or resident in the ACT or the child's birth is registered there. One parent may apply alone if they are the sole parent named on the register, the sole person with parental responsibility for name decisions, or the only surviving parent, if the child's name was already changed under a corresponding Commonwealth or interstate law or should be changed under a court order or finding, or if the Supreme Court has approved the application. Where a proposed change is disputed, a parent can ask the Supreme Court to approve it if satisfied the change is in the child's best interests, under section 19(3) and (4). If both parents are dead, cannot be found, or otherwise cannot exercise parental responsibility, a person with parental responsibility for the child may apply instead, under section 19(5).

The application fee and form are the same regardless of the child's age, but consent is not. Section 20(2)(c) stops the registrar-general registering a section 19 change for a child who has turned 14 unless satisfied the child either consents or cannot understand what the change means.

Young People Changing Their Own Given Names

A separate pathway under section 19A lets a young person apply on their own behalf, but only to change their given names, never their surname. A person aged 14 to 17 can apply alone with no parental consent required. A person aged 12 or 13 can apply if both parents consent, if one parent consents and getting the other's consent is not practicable or reasonable, or with the approval of the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal under Part 4A of the Act. Access Canberra's guidance states that a child under 12 can change their given names or sex marker with support from one parent and permission from the Tribunal, though this page did not independently verify the Tribunal's leave criteria in the Act's own text. A young person can still only change their surname once they turn 18, or earlier if a parent applies for them under section 19.

Restricted Persons

Division 3.2 of the Act, sections 22A to 22G, restricts a change of name application by a restricted person, defined as someone serving a sentence of imprisonment, including full-time detention, an intensive correction order, or a drug or alcohol treatment order, or someone on parole. A restricted person must apply in writing to the relevant director-general, meaning the director-general responsible for the Corrections Management Act 2007 for a person serving a sentence, or for the Crimes (Sentence Administration) Act 2005 for a person on parole, for approval before making a change of name application. Access Canberra describes this office as the Director-General of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate.

That director-general has 30 days to decide, and may approve only if satisfied the change is necessary or reasonable in the circumstances, and must refuse if the change would likely threaten the security or order of a facility, put someone's health or safety at risk, further an unlawful purpose, help the person evade supervision, or reasonably be seen as offensive by a victim or the wider community.

Applying, or applying on a restricted person's behalf, without that approval is a strict liability offence under section 22E, with a maximum penalty of 5 penalty units, $800.00 at the Act's current penalty unit value. The registrar-general must not register a change of name for a restricted person without a director-general approval notice. Unlike some other jurisdictions, this approval sits entirely with Corrections and Justice and Community Safety; it does not involve a police check.

Names the Registrar Can Refuse

The Act's dictionary defines a prohibited name as one that is obscene or offensive, cannot practically be established by repute or usage because it is too long or uses symbols without phonetic significance in English, resembles an official title or rank, is misleading because it resembles the name of a body or organisation, is undesirable in the registrar-general's opinion, or is prohibited by regulation. Section 20(5) stops the registrar-general registering a change that would result in a prohibited name. The undesirable in the registrar-general's opinion ground is a broad discretionary power rather than a fixed list, and this page did not independently check the Regulation for any further categories it may add.

How to Apply

An application can be made online for every track: adult, child, or young person. A paper form is also available, for an adult, a child, or a young person aged 12 to 17 born in the ACT, with a separate form for a young person born outside the ACT. A paper form can be submitted by email to Access Canberra's births, deaths and marriages address, by post to their GPO Box in Canberra, or in person at an Access Canberra Service Centre, where the fee is paid on the spot; the email and post channels involve Access Canberra contacting the applicant afterward to arrange payment. Access Canberra states it will process a request within 15 business days of receiving all required documents, not counting Australia Post delivery time.

What You Get

If the applicant, or the child, was born in the ACT, the birth register itself is altered. The applicant chooses between having the register changed outright, so a future birth certificate shows only the new name, or having the change noted against the existing entry, so a future certificate shows both the former and new name with the change noted on its reverse. A person can also ask, in writing, for their former name to be left off a reissued certificate where the register was changed outright, for privacy reasons, subject to the registrar-general being satisfied of that purpose and, for a child of 14 or older, the child's consent. If the applicant was born outside the ACT, there is no ACT birth entry to alter, and the applicant instead receives a standalone change of name certificate. If born interstate or overseas, see the vital records office where the birth itself is registered for anything relating to the original birth record.

After a Divorce or Separation

Access Canberra's published guidance addresses taking a spouse's name after marriage, including that a marriage registered overseas may not be accepted as sufficient support on its own and can require a formal ACT change of name application instead. It does not address reverting to a former name after a divorce. This page did not find an ACT specific statement on whether a divorce order alone is enough, the way a marriage certificate can be in some circumstances, or whether the standard $152.00 process is required. Like the Northern Territory, this point is not confirmed, and a reader should check directly with Access Canberra. For the process of divorce itself, see divorce in Australia.