How to Legally Change Your Name in Australia: State by State

Legally changing your name in Australia is ordinarily handled by your state or territory's registry of births, deaths and marriages, not a court, and the fee resets every 1 July in most jurisdictions, so a figure from a prior financial year should never be assumed current.

Information last verified on 21 July 2026 against the primary legislation and, where noted, the relevant government agency page. This page presents general legal information, not legal advice.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers the general adult legal name change process and fees in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, as researched 21 July 2026. Fees are stated only where a FY2026-27 figure could be confirmed against the registry page or the fee instrument.

The general process: a registry application, not a court order

For most adults, changing a legal name in Australia does not involve a court. Each state and territory's registry of births, deaths and marriages (the name of the agency varies: Births Deaths and Marriages in most states, sometimes folded into a broader agency such as Consumer and Business Services in South Australia or the Department of Justice in Tasmania) accepts a change of name application directly from an eligible adult (in Tasmania, anyone 16 or older can apply for themselves), generally requiring proof of identity, evidence connecting the applicant to that state or territory (commonly birth registration in that jurisdiction, or current residency), and the applicable fee. Once processed, the registry issues a change of name certificate, which is the document used to update other records such as a driver licence, passport and bank accounts. A court-based process is generally reserved for more unusual situations, including some child name changes where parents cannot agree.

Fees for the 2026-27 financial year, state by state

Every figure below was re-checked on 25 October 2026 against the registry's own page or the fee instrument, after the 1 July reset most registries apply. Fees can still change during a year, so confirm on the registry page immediately before paying. Each state name links to a detailed guide covering eligibility, children, restricted applicants and what the registry can refuse.

Residency and eligibility requirements differ by state

Every registry requires a connection to that state or territory: either the applicant's birth is registered there, or they live there. In New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory the residence route is generally only for people born overseas, so someone born in another Australian state applies in their birth state. For someone born overseas the periods are: New South Wales three consecutive years (the national outlier); Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory 12 consecutive months (Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory can waive it for protection or marriage-related cases; Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory also require citizenship or permanent residence); Tasmania and the ACT set no minimum period at all, only that the applicant is domiciled or resident there when applying, wherever they were born. The age at which a child's own consent is needed also differs: 12 in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania, 14 in the ACT, from when the child understands the meaning of their name in the Northern Territory (presumed at 14), and no fixed age in New South Wales or South Australia, where the registry looks at the child's capacity to understand. The state guides linked in the table above set out each rule with its section.

What this page does not cover

This page describes the general adult name change process only. Changing a child's name, especially where the parents do not agree, generally involves additional consent requirements and, in some circumstances, a court application, and is governed by different rules to the adult process described above. Marriage-related name changes and name changes connected to gender-affirming processes can also involve different documentation requirements at some registries. A reader in either situation should check the specific guidance published by the relevant registry rather than relying on the general process outlined here.

After the certificate: updating other records

A change of name certificate from the state or territory registry is the starting document, not the end of the process. Most other agencies and institutions, a driver licensing authority, the Australian Passport Office, the Australian Taxation Office, banks, electoral enrolment and superannuation funds, each require the applicant to separately notify them and provide a certified copy of the certificate before they will update their own records. Some of these updates carry their own fee (a passport reissue, for example, is a separate cost from the registry's change of name fee), and processing times vary by agency. Keeping the original certificate, and having several certified copies made, generally makes this follow-up process faster, since some agencies will not accept an uncertified photocopy.

Why the financial year matters for this particular topic

Most of the government fees referenced on this site do not move often. Name change fees are different: several registries explicitly reset them on 1 July, the start of the Australian financial year, as part of a broader annual schedule of government fee increases. That is precisely why this page checks each figure against the current financial year rather than restating an older number as if it still applied. A fee that was correct in June can be wrong in July of the same year, and a fee correct in one financial year says nothing reliable about the next one.

This page is general legal information about everyday law in Australia, verified on 21 July 2026. It is not legal advice, and it does not cover every situation. For advice about your own circumstances, consult a legal practitioner admitted in the relevant Australian state or territory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to go to court to change my name in Australia?

Usually not, for an adult changing their own name. The relevant state or territory registry of births, deaths and marriages processes the application directly. Court involvement is more common for certain child name changes, particularly where parents disagree.

How much does it cost to change your name in New South Wales?

The New South Wales fee was confirmed at $203 for the standard application, or $233 for priority service, plus $70 for the certificate issued at registration, current for FY2026-27 at the time of research. Confirm the exact current fee on the NSW registry's own page before applying.

Is Victoria's name change fee current?

Yes. Victoria's $148.60 application fee is shown on BDM Victoria's change of name pages, and it includes both registration of the change of name and a certificate.

What is the current Queensland change of name fee?

The fee is $220.00 for 2026-27: 194.20 fee units under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Regulation 2024 (Qld), at the fee unit value of $1.133 that applies from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Confirm on the registry page before applying. The governing Act is now the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 2023 (Qld).

Can I change my name in a state I don't live in?

Only if your birth is registered there. To apply where you live instead, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory generally accept only people born overseas, after three consecutive years in New South Wales or 12 consecutive months in the others; if you were born in another Australian state, apply in that state. Tasmania and the ACT accept anyone domiciled or resident there, with no minimum period. Check the state guide for waivers and citizenship conditions.

Does changing my name automatically update my passport and driver licence?

No. A change of name certificate issued by the registry is the document you then use to separately update other records, including your driver licence, passport and financial accounts, each of which has its own update process.