If you feel your child's life is in danger, you may want to change the child's name for safety. In Florida, changing a child's name for safety is a relatively quick and easy process. You will need to request alterations be made to your child's vital records to protect her new name from being discovered. You may also want to consider changing your own name, especially if your child is living with you, to prevent the person(s) endangering her safety from discovering her while in your custody.

Required Vital Records

Obtain a certified copy of your child's birth certificate. You will need to contact the Office of Vital Statistics who recorded your child's birth, usually located in the county and state where she was born. Certified copies are notarized and the fee is slight higher, but courts do not typically accept uncertified copies for name-changing purposes.

Petition for Change of Name

Draft a Petition for Change of Name of a Minor Child. You can find a template for drafting the petition yourself online. You will need to provide your child's personal information, information for both you and your child's other parent, and list you and your child's current residence. If you live in two different residences, provide both addresses.

Reasoning for the Name Change

Explain the reason(s) you are requesting to change your child's name for safety. Be as detailed as possible, stating dates, times, and locations of all incidents that led to the need for your child's name to be changed. Provide copies of any documents that support your reasoning, including police reports, restraining orders, and other court orders. You will need a legitimate reason to change your child's name; otherwise, your petition will be dismissed.

Affidavit to Support Petition

Draft an affidavit explaining why you should not be required to make notice of your intent to change your child's name. Florida typically requires that any individual petitioning to change their name must publish their intent to do so in public places, such as in the newspaper. This is obviously hazardous to those requesting a name change for safety reasons, as the person(s) you are trying to hide from can easily find this information. To have this requirement waived, you will again need to detail not only the reason(s) for the name change, but why publishing the information would be detrimental to you and your child. Again, provide copies of any documents that support your affidavit.

Permission from the Child's Other Parent

Unless you can demonstrate that the person endangering your child is her other parent, you will likely need his permission and signature to successfully petition to change your child's name for safety. If this is indeed whom you are trying to keep her safe from, you will need to explain why she is in danger from the other parent in your affidavit.

Filing the Petition

File the Petition for Change of Name of a Minor Child, the affidavit, a certified copy of your child's birth certificate, and copies of all supporting documents with the clerk of the civil court in the county where you reside. You will need to pay the filing fee before the petition will be accepted.

After the Name Change

After an order changing your child's name is entered by the judge, immediately update your child's vital records and other personal documents to reflect this change. This includes her Social Security card, bank accounts in her name, insurance card, driver's license (if applicable), and other similar documents. You will also need to request a new birth certificate reflecting the child's new name.

The Child's Private Records

After you have updated your child's personal records, you (and after turning 18, your child) will only be able to obtain her records by submitting requests under her new name -even if the rest of her personal information is listed correctly. All of your child's records prior to the name change will now be attached to her new name. State and federal laws prohibit anyone else from obtaining your child's records, so no one would be able to uncover her new name by requesting her records.

Source:

"Florida Statutes 2008;" Division of Statutory Revision of the Florida Legislature; 2008 (1st Updated Reissue).

"Florida Family Law: 2008 Statutes;" Phyllis Coleman; 2008.

Resource:

PublicLegalForms.com: Sample Florida Petition for Change of Name of Minor

Florida State Office of Vital Statistics