ST. LOUIS CITY
Forms
Some people understand forms really well. Some do not. If you just want to take yourself through the forms, these are all the necessary forms to change one's name in the City of St. Louis. If you need more guidance, refer to the thoughts laid out below.
Affidavit for Judgment (bring a copy of your birth certificate)
Petition
Needs to be signed in front of a notary. Members of this group are notaries and can provide the free service. You can usually find a notary at a bank or library, too.
You do not need an attorney!
If any of the questions do not apply to you, do not fill them out
This form looks very similar to the judgment, but they are different and both need to be filed. This document may be confusing and may seem like several of the questions are irrelevant. While we cannot give you legal advice, we have noted parts of the document that interest us and may make the form easier to follow.
One of the courts main concerns is whether or not a name change will be detrimental to others such as credit companies. This is what questions #10, #17, and #18 are referring to.
#11 is one of the ways the court can easily figure out if a name change is necessary. Some examples of reasons to change one's name could be (mixing and matching these is definitely possible, and if they do not fit your reason, do what works best for you):
- [NEW NAME] is the name I am known as [and have been using for ____ years].
- [NEW NAME] is the name I am known as, and I would like my legal name to better align with my gender identity.
- I want my name to be consistent on all my important documents.
- I would like to share the same surname as my spouse/partner.
- I would like my child(ren) to share the same surname as ________.
- I want to update my name to reflect my marriage/divorce/separation.
- I want to update my name to reflect my religious beliefs.
#16 is asking if the court needs to keep the case confidential from publishing. Many people in the trans, non-binary, and other communities have faced discrimination laid out in this question. If someone has experienced these, they do not need to publish their name change in the newspaper (see below in the Publish section)
#17 is talking about a money judgement that has been signed by the judge and closed.
#18 is talking about if a pending money request is in the court - threats from companies do not count. There would be a court filing for the case to be pending in the court system.
Here is the link where the form can be found, completed, and printed before filing as pro se documents with the court. Click Here.
Judgment
If you are in a county that does name changes by affidavit (a fancy letter, as opposed to having a court date), then you will fill out an “Affidavit for Judgment” instead of “Judgment for Name Change of Adult Individual.” St. Louis City uses an Affidavit which is found on the next section.
Important tips for the questions in this form:
#4:
If you were born in Missouri, check the Missouri-specific box.
If you were not born in Missouri, check the other box and write-in the state you were born in.
If you were not born in the U.S. but are a U.S. citizen, the U.S. State Department has a Consular Record of Birth Abroad for you which can be amended like a birth certificate.
#5:
If you checked that you have been a victim of crimes laid out in question #16 of the petition, the person filing checks the latter box that publishing is not required.
If you have to publish the change, the newspaper you can use is called "The St. Louis City Monitor". This is a legal newspaper that only lawyers and credit sharks look at.
St. Louis has combined the files for the Petition and the Judgement, so the Judgement is found on the last two pages of the Petition. Here is the link where the form can be found, completed, and printed before filing as pro se documents with the court. Click Here.
Affidavit for Judgment
Since 2021, the courts in the City of St. Louis decided that people do not need to show up to court for their name change after filing the documents. This means people do not have to be seen by a judge! But instead, one must fill out an affidavit. You must also bring a COPY OF YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE with you for to file the affidavit. (If you do not have your birth certificate, we can help you obtain one. Please reach out)
Here is the link where the form can be found, completed, and printed before filing as pro se documents with the court. Click Here.
Request for Publication
You do NOT need to publish your legal name change if you are the victim of a crime based on:
domestic violence as defined in §455.010, RSMo; or
child abuse as defined in §210.110, RSMo; or
abuse by a family or household member as defined in §455.010, RSMo.
Publication has to happen within the county you reside, but you can publish in local papers, including legal ones! No one actually reads legal publications (except maybe a few lawyers)
This law newspaper is called, "St. Louis City Monitor"
Here is the link where the form can be found, completed, and printed before filing as pro se documents with the court. Click Here.
Cover Sheet
The cover sheet is the same form you would use for use for other confidential case filings for the court to summarize important information.
You file in the county you reside in
You are the petitioner
Instead of “X v. Y” your case would be titled “In re [your current legal name]”
Asks for a lot of information that is not relevant for name change
Only fill in what you know! If the questions do not apply to you, do not fill them out
Here is the link where the form can be found, completed, and printed before filing as pro se documents with the court. Click Here.
Filing Fees
There are two ways to pay for the name change process:
A person can pay for it themselves or get the funding from community. Make sure you have the funds in CASH (debit/credit not accepted). The process costs $177.50 total.
The courts have an option for people to "File as a Poor Person" in a process called In Forma Pauperis.
This document must be signed by a judge before filing all the documents.
They court may tell you to go to a specific judge, but any judge can sign this form.
Here is the link where the form can be found, completed, and printed before filing as pro se documents with the court. Click Here.
Next Steps
YAY! You filled out all the forms. Now, you can go to the court and get it done.
Bring a copy of your birth certificate with you.
Address:
10 N. Tucker Blvd , Civil Courts Building
St. Louis, Missouri 63101
(Opposite corner from City Hall)
Phone: (314) 622-4433
Hours: 8:30 AM - 5 PM
Monday thru Friday
Website: http://www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com/
The St. Louis City court employee who usually handles pro se name change cases is a paralegal named Tracy Wells. She has a history of supporting trans folks and can be helpful if you have extra questions. (She also has a history of being difficult to contact, so be persistent and send multiple emails/calls!) twells@courts.mo.gov (314) 641-8448
You will go to the Cashier to file your documents pro se (meaning by yourself without a lawyer).
If you are "Filing as a Poor Person" (to ask for a fee waiver) you will likely have to go to the clerk and judge thereafter before going to the cashier.
After you file everything, it might take four to six weeks. Follow up if you do not hear from the court after four weeks. The court will mail you one or more certified (stamped) copies of the judgment, which you can use to complete the next steps of the process: updating your birth certificate, ID/DL, social security card, and all other documents.
Read our After the Courts page for more details!