How to Change Your Name in the Northern Territory: Eligibility, Fees and the 3-Time Lifetime Limit

An adult can apply for a Northern Territory change of name certificate for $148, provided their birth is registered in the Northern Territory or they have lived there for at least 12 consecutive months, and they have not already changed their name 3 times in a lifetime.

This page covers the Northern 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 for a Northern Territory change of name certificate if they meet one of two tests under section 23 of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1996 (NT): their birth is registered in the Northern Territory, or they were born outside Australia and have been domiciled or ordinarily resident in the Territory for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before applying. The Northern Territory Government's own guidance adds a consequence the Act itself does not spell out: a person who currently lives in the Northern Territory but was born in another Australian state or territory cannot use the Northern Territory process at all. They must apply for a change of name in the state or territory where they were born, a genuine trap for a reader who assumes their current address controls.

For the born-overseas route, the Registry asks for documentary proof of 12 months' Northern Territory residency, such as bank statements, utility bills, or payslips from a Territory employer, plus proof of Australian citizenship or permanent residency. Whether a temporary visa holder who has lived in the Territory for 12 months or more can apply is not addressed directly by the Act's text and is not confirmed here.

How Often You Can Change Your Name

The Northern Territory limits how often a person can change their name in two separate ways under section 26A of the Act. First, the Registrar must not accept an application if the person's name was already changed, in the Northern Territory or any other Australian state or territory, in the 12 months immediately before the new application. Second, section 26A also sets a lifetime cap: the Registrar must not accept an application if the person has already had 3 changes of name registered, in the Northern Territory or elsewhere in Australia, since this limit came into effect. That count runs from the section's commencement, so it is a running lifetime total, not a limit per period.

The Northern Territory Government's consumer guidance mentions the 12-month gap but does not mention the 3-change lifetime cap anywhere on the pages checked, so a reader relying only on the general public information could miss it. Section 26B exempts certain changes from both limits: those needed to protect the applicant or their children from domestic violence, those made because of a marriage or divorce, and those ordered by a court or tribunal.

The Fee

As of August 2026, the Northern Territory's Births, Deaths and Marriages Office lists the total change of name fee at $148. A 1 July 2026 Amendment Regulation did amend the fee Schedule in the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Regulations 1996 (NT), which sets the statutory application fee in revenue units, but the current dollar value of a Northern Territory revenue unit could not be confirmed for this page. The $148 figure should be read as the current published total as of the access date above, rather than as a fee explained by, or caused by, that specific regulation change.

The fees schedule separately lists a $74 change of name certificate and, for the under-12-months baby process described below, a distinct $74 amendment fee. Readers should confirm the current figure directly with the Northern Territory Births, Deaths and Marriages Office before applying.

Changing a Child's Name

Under section 24 of the Act, both parents named on a child's birth registration must generally join in an application to change the child's name. One parent may apply alone if they are the only parent named on the registration, if there is no other surviving parent, or if the Northern Territory Supreme Court has approved the change. If both parents are dead, cannot be found, or otherwise cannot exercise parental responsibility, the child's guardian may apply. Where the Registrar has actual knowledge that another person with guardianship or custody objects to the change, section 24(3) stops the Registrar registering it. A parent can also ask the Supreme Court to approve a proposed change over an objection, if the court is satisfied the change is in the child's best interests.

A child's own consent matters once they understand the meaning and implications of a name change. Section 25(3) sets that age at 14: a child who has reached 14 is treated as understanding their name unless there is evidence otherwise, and the Registrar must not register the change unless that child consents. This is higher than the age commonly assumed for other Australian jurisdictions, so do not assume 12 applies in the Northern Territory.

A Northern Territory born baby under 12 months old is not changed through this process at all. Instead, a parent uses a statutory declaration (two statutory declarations if both parents are named on the birth record), submitted with the baby's existing birth certificate and identity documents, together with the separate $74 amendment fee described above.

Restricted Persons

Two separate Northern Territory laws restrict a name change for people under correctional supervision, and they should not be confused with each other.

Under section 192 of the Correctional Services Act 2014 (NT), it is an offence, carrying a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units or 6 months' imprisonment, for a prisoner or a person on parole, or someone applying on their behalf, to apply for a change of name without the written consent of the Commissioner of Correctional Services. In deciding whether to consent, the Commissioner weighs the nature and history of the person's offending, whether the change could further unlawful activity, and whether it would be offensive to victims or their families; the applicant's own interests are only a secondary factor.

A second, narrower regime applies to people detained or supervised after their original sentence under the Serious Sex Offenders Act 2013 (NT). Section 108 of that Act makes it an offence to apply for a change of name for a detainee or supervisee without the Commissioner's written permission, using a similar test. Section 27A of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1996 (NT) lets the Commissioner direct the Registrar to refuse to register such a change, or to reverse one that was already registered. No Northern Territory Government consumer page describing either restriction in plain language was found; both rules are drawn directly from the two Acts.

Names the Registrar Can Refuse

Section 26(3) lets the Registrar refuse an application if the resulting name would be a prohibited name under the Act's dictionary, meaning a name that is obscene or offensive, cannot practicably be established by repute or usage (for example because it is too long or uses symbols without phonetic meaning), resembles an official title or rank, or is contrary to the public interest for some other reason. The Registrar may also refuse an application under section 26(4) if the applicant has a conviction for an offence involving fraud or identity related deception, or under section 26(5) if the applicant fails to provide requested evidence of identity, age, or that the application is not for a fraudulent or improper purpose. Section 25A separately requires an applicant to disclose convictions carrying a sentence of 12 months or more imprisonment, in the Northern Territory, another Australian jurisdiction, or overseas, with an exception for a spent conviction under the Criminal Records (Spent Convictions) Act 1992 (NT).

How to Apply

A Northern Territory change of name application is made by mail or in person. There is no online application channel for a change of name, unlike ordering an existing certificate. The applicant completes the correct paper form, which differs depending on whether the person was born in the Northern Territory or overseas, signs it in front of a witness aged 18 or over, and submits it with proof of identity, evidence of any earlier name changes, a detailed reason for the change, and the fee. The Northern Territory Government's guidance is explicit that a generic reason, such as simply wanting a different name, is not accepted; the application needs a specific, detailed reason.

After submitting an application, an applicant may be asked to provide a national police check at their own cost, which can delay processing. This request can apply to any applicant and is a separate, more general check than the restricted-persons rules described above.

No specific processing time is published for a change of name application itself. The Northern Territory Births, Deaths and Marriages Office states that a certificate is usually issued within 10 business days once the underlying life event, including a registered change of name, has been fully processed, but this figure is published for certificate ordering generally, not specifically for the change of name application step.

What You Get

Every successful application produces a change of name certificate. If the applicant, or the child, was born in the Northern Territory, they can also ask for their existing birth certificate to be updated to show the new name. This is opt-in: it requires ticking the consent option on the application and surrendering the original birth certificate, or providing a statutory declaration if it cannot be produced. Without that step, the birth record stays unchanged and the change of name exists only as a separate registration and certificate. If the applicant was not born in the Northern Territory, the Territory Registry cannot amend a birth record it does not hold, and the applicant is directed to the vital records office in the state or territory where they were born.

After a Divorce or Separation

The Northern Territory Government's guidance states simply that a person may change back to the name they used before marriage at any time, and that many people do this after a divorce or separation, directing readers to contact the Births, Deaths and Marriages Office for more information. Section 26B(1)(b) of the Act confirms that a marriage or divorce related name change is exempt from the residency and frequency limits described above, but neither the Act nor the Government's guidance states whether reverting to a former name still requires the standard application, form, witness, and detailed reason, or whether a marriage or divorce certificate alone is enough. Like the Australian Capital Territory, this page cannot state which applies, and a reader in this situation should confirm directly with the Registry. For the process of divorce itself, see divorce in Australia.

Changing Sex or Gender on the Register

Changing the sex or gender recorded on a Northern Territory birth registration is a separate process under Part 4A of the Act, with its own eligibility test based on clinical treatment or intersex status rather than residency or birthplace. It is not a form of change of name and is not covered on this page.