Vermont Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name

Vermont does not run a typical adversarial name-change petition the way most states in this batch do. Instead, an adult of sound mind signs, seals, and acknowledges a statutory-form instrument before a judge of the Probate Division, then files it. There is no hearing described in the statute itself for a routine adult filing.

That light-touch structure has one real checkpoint built into it. Before allowing any name change, the Probate Division must ask the Department of Public Safety whether the person is on the Sex Offender Registry, and a match can block the change entirely unless the court finds a compelling purpose for allowing it.

Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

How to Legally Change Your Name in Vermont

An adult of sound mind changes their name by executing a statutory-form instrument, signed, sealed, and acknowledged before a judge of the Probate Division of the Superior Court in the district where the person resides, then filing it under 15 V.S.A. 811 and 813. This is not a petition-and-order procedure in the sense used elsewhere in this cluster; the statute does not describe an adversarial hearing for a routine adult filing. If the Probate Division does not give you a copy of the instrument, you can prepare it in a word processor and use PDFelement, paid software, to turn the draft into a PDF and edit it; the signing, sealing and acknowledgment still have to happen before the judge.

According to the Vermont Judiciary's Probate Division name-change page, the filing fee is $150, with a waiver available for petitioners who cannot afford it. Contact the Probate Division in your district directly to confirm the current fee before filing.

Changing a Minor's Name

Under 15 V.S.A. 812, a minor's name is changed by the same kind of instrument, made, signed, sealed, and acknowledged before the Probate Division judge in the district where the minor lives by a person who, under 14 V.S.A. chapter 111, may act for the minor. That is the guardianship-of-minors chapter, so the authority to sign runs through it rather than through a general parental power. The person acting for the minor signs the instrument.

The statute adds one age limit: the name of a minor, if over 14 years of age, cannot be changed without that minor's consent given in court. The trigger written into the statute is being over 14, so a child who is exactly 14 sits outside the consent requirement as enacted. Obtaining a 14-year-old's agreement anyway is sensible practice, not a rule the statute imposes.

Divorcing parents have a second, often simpler route. Under 15 V.S.A. 559, the court may change the names of the minor children of divorced parents when application for that purpose is made in the complaint for divorce. Asking for the change in the divorce complaint keeps it inside the case that is already open instead of requiring a separate probate filing later.

Restoring Your Name After Divorce

Vermont handles this inside the divorce case rather than through a separate filing. Under 15 V.S.A. 558, titled "Spouse allowed to take prior name," upon granting a divorce, unless good cause is shown to the contrary, the court shall allow a spouse to resume the spouse's prior name or the name of a former spouse. The word "shall" matters: restoration is the default, and the court departs from it only if good cause against it is shown.

Because the restoration is granted as part of the divorce itself, there is no need to execute a separate probate instrument under 15 V.S.A. 811 to get a former name back. Raise the request in the divorce proceeding so it can be written into the decree. If the divorce is already final and the decree said nothing about the name, ask the court that handled the divorce what it needs, or use the general instrument process described above.

Notice and the Sex Offender Registry Check

Vermont has no general newspaper-publication requirement for the public. Instead, the entire notice-and-restrictions structure runs through a single mandatory checkpoint: on receiving a change-of-name filing, the Probate Division must ask the Department of Public Safety whether the person is listed on the Sex Offender Registry.

If there is a match, the court cannot permit the change unless it lets the Department of Public Safety appear and then finds a compelling purpose for allowing the change despite the registry status. No independent felony bar beyond this registry checkpoint was found. Because Vermont's process otherwise reads as fairly light-touch, a reader with a registry history should not assume the process will be as simple as the general description above suggests. It is worth being explicit about this rather than letting it get lost: this one check is the entire gatekeeping mechanism in Vermont's law.

Name Change After Marriage

Vermont has no statute dedicated to marriage-based name changes. A spouse who wants to adopt a new name at marriage does so administratively, presenting the marriage certificate to the Social Security Administration and the DMV rather than filing with the Probate Division. For the federal-level steps involved, see name change after marriage.

Related Vermont Records

For the marriage certificate or divorce decree that may support a filing, see Vermont marriage and divorce records. For how the state's court system handles filings and case access generally, see Vermont court records. For the broader dissolution process, see Vermont divorce laws. For the full agency-by-agency update process once a change takes effect, see the name change checklist and how to legally change your name.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about Vermont name-change law. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees and forms change; verify current details with the Probate Division in your district or a licensed Vermont attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.

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Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and forms reflect their published status as of August 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to go to a hearing to change my name in Vermont?

Generally no for a routine adult filing. Vermont uses a signed, sealed instrument acknowledged before a Probate Division judge rather than an adversarial petition process, under 15 V.S.A. 811.

Does Vermont check the Sex Offender Registry before a name change?

Yes, for every filing. The Probate Division must ask the Department of Public Safety whether the person is registered, and a match blocks the change unless the court finds a compelling purpose for allowing it anyway.

Does Vermont require newspaper publication for a name change?

No. There is no general publication requirement for the public.

How old does a minor have to be to consent to their own name change in Vermont?

Over 14. Under 15 V.S.A. 812, the name of a minor over 14 years of age cannot be changed without that minor's consent given in court. For a younger child, the instrument is executed by a person who may act for the minor under 14 V.S.A. chapter 111.

How do I get my maiden name back after a Vermont divorce?

Through the divorce itself. Under 15 V.S.A. 558, upon granting a divorce the court shall allow a spouse to resume the spouse's prior name or the name of a former spouse unless good cause is shown to the contrary. Ask for it in the divorce case rather than filing a separate probate instrument.

Can a child's name be changed as part of a Vermont divorce?

Yes, if it is requested up front. Under 15 V.S.A. 559, the court may change the names of the minor children of divorced parents when application for that purpose is made in the complaint for divorce.