How to Change Your Name in Queensland: Eligibility, the $220 Fee and the 2023 Act

In Queensland, an adult whose birth or adoption was registered in the state, or who was born overseas and has lived in Queensland for at least 12 consecutive months, can apply to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages to change their name for $220.00, without going to court.

This page covers Queensland's own eligibility, fee and process rules under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 2023 (Qld). For the general Australia-wide picture and how Queensland compares with other states and territories, see How to Legally Change Your Name in Australia.

Who can apply for a Queensland name change

An adult may apply to register a change of name under section 26(1) of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 2023 (Qld) in one of two situations: their birth or adoption was registered in Queensland, or they were born outside Australia, their birth was not registered in another Australian state or territory, and they have been ordinarily resident in Queensland for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before applying. Someone whose birth is registered in another Australian state is directed to apply there instead. Section 26(2) and (3) give the registrar discretion to accept an application outside these categories where satisfied there are exceptional circumstances, or, despite the 12-month residency rule specifically, where the application relates to the applicant's marriage or divorce, or is for the protection of the applicant, their child, or an associated person. There is no separate citizenship or visa requirement written into the Act beyond the residency test for the overseas born route.

How often you can change your name

Section 27 caps how often an adult can change their name in Queensland. The registrar must refuse an application if aware that 3 or more changes of the person's name have already been registered in Queensland or another state during their adult life, or that a change was registered in the 12 months immediately before the current application. A name change made while the applicant was still a child does not count toward the adult 3 change lifetime cap. These limits do not apply where the change relates to a sex affirmation process, a marriage or divorce, protection reasons, or exceptional circumstances the registrar accepts. A child's own name changes are separately capped under section 32: a first name can generally only be changed once, beyond a separate once only change available within the child's first 12 months of life, and any other name, such as a surname, cannot be changed more than once in a 1-year period.

The Queensland change of name fee

The Queensland Government's registry service page listed the adult change of name application fee, including one certificate, at $220.00 when checked directly in August 2026, after the 1 July financial year fee reset most Queensland government fees go through. That is worth stating carefully: the page's own last updated stamp predates the reset, so this figure cannot be described as freshly confirmed for the new financial year in the same way a page that was itself edited after 1 July would be. Confirm the current fee directly on the Queensland Government's website before applying. Related fees on the same registry page: an extra certificate costs $58.10, and an urgent application processed within 3 business days costs an additional $115.60 on top of the standard fee. Noting a change of name that was registered in another state against a Queensland birth or adoption record costs $45.40, and ordering a replacement or updated certificate later also costs $58.10.

Changing a child's name in Queensland

Section 28 mirrors the adult eligibility test for a child: the child's birth or adoption was registered in Queensland, or they were born overseas and at least one applicant has been resident in Queensland for the qualifying period, with the same exceptional circumstances, marriage or divorce, and protection based overrides available, plus a fourth override where a court outside Queensland has directed the registrar to accept the application. Under section 29, both parents normally need to apply together. One parent can apply alone if they are the only parent recorded on the birth register, the other parent has died and no one else holds parental responsibility, the applying parent holds sole parental responsibility for the child's name or major long term decisions under a Family Law Act 1975 (Cwlth) parenting order, or a Magistrates Court has approved the change under section 30. That Magistrates Court route exists specifically for situations where parents disagree: the court can approve a proposed name for an eligible child if the name is not a prohibited name and the court is satisfied the change is in the child's best interests. Separately, section 31 requires the registrar to be satisfied that a child aged 12 or older consents to their own name change, unless the registrar is satisfied the child is unable to understand what the change means; this consent requirement does not apply where a Magistrates Court has already approved the change.

Restricted persons and other approvals the registrar can require

Section 33 lets the registrar require written permission before registering certain applicants' name changes, cross referencing three separate Acts rather than setting its own test. A person in the custody of Queensland Corrective Services needs written permission under the Corrective Services Act 2006. A released prisoner subject to a supervision or continuing detention order needs written permission under the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003. A reportable offender on Queensland's child protection offender register needs written permission under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) Act 2004. The Queensland Government's own registry guidance names the Chief Executive of Corrective Services or the Police Commissioner as the officials who give that written approval, depending on the category involved. For the mechanics of a Queensland police check itself, see Police Check in Queensland. Beyond restricted persons specifically, section 33(3) also requires the registrar to refuse any application, from any applicant, where not satisfied of the person's identity, where fraud or an improper purpose is reasonably suspected, or where the proposed name is a prohibited name.

Names the registrar can refuse

Schedule 2 of the Act defines a prohibited name as one that is obscene or offensive; cannot practically be established by repute or usage, for example because it is too long or includes symbols with no phonetic significance; includes or resembles an official title or rank; is or includes a statement, with the Act's own examples covering political slogans; is contrary to the public interest; or is prescribed by regulation to be a prohibited name. The registrar must refuse to register a prohibited name, and a Magistrates Court order approving a child's name change likewise cannot approve one.

How to apply, identification and processing time

There is no fully online, self contained application: the registry's online form still produces a printed form and payment receipt that must then be posted or brought to an appointment, not an end to end digital submission. Applicants can post their completed form, a witness declared paper form, and certified copies of their identification and supporting documents to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or attend the Brisbane customer service centre by appointment only, bringing original, not certified copy, documents. Most registry services, including a name change, require 3 forms of current identification across personal and community categories, plus a separate, additional form of name change evidence, such as an existing change of name certificate, a marriage certificate, proof of divorce, or a deed poll document. A standard application takes up to 10 business days to process; an urgent application, for the extra $115.60 fee noted above, is processed within 3 business days. Applications missing required documents, or seeking an exception to the eligibility or frequency rules, take longer.

What you get once your application is approved

An applicant whose birth or adoption was registered in Queensland can choose either a new birth certificate showing the updated name, a separate change of name certificate, or both for an additional fee; see the guide to Queensland birth, death and marriage certificates for how to order either document afterward. Someone born overseas, where no Queensland birth record exists to update, receives only a change of name certificate. A change of name registered in Queensland is entered on Queensland's own register; if a person later needs a change of name registered in a different state reflected against their Queensland birth record, the registry's separate note a change of name service, at $45.40, is the correct route rather than reapplying for a new Queensland change. Updating a passport or a Queensland driver licence with a new change of name certificate is handled by the Australian Passport Office and Queensland Transport and Main Roads respectively, each with its own document requirements. Queensland also administers a separate process for altering a person's recorded sex under a different part of the same Act; that is a distinct application with its own eligibility rules, not the change of name process described here.

Changing your name back after a divorce

Generally, if you married in Australia and want to revert to your previous name after separation or divorce, Queensland does not require a new BDM application. You can show your marriage certificate, birth certificate, or divorce documents directly to the organisations that hold your records. The exception is a marriage that took place overseas where the change to the married name was itself formally registered with BDM; reverting from that name does need a new formal application. For the mechanics of the divorce process itself, see Divorce in Australia.