How Long Does It Take to Process a Name Change in Queens County?
The process of obtaining a legal name change in New York City takes the longest in Queens County. After the name change petition, exhibits, and proposed order are prepared by an attorney, the papers are submitted to the special term clerk's office in the Queens Civil Court for approval. If everything is in order, the fee of $65 is paid to the cashier to complete filing.
Currently, ( as of March 2, 2014) it takes approximately 8 weeks from filing to obtain an order signed by a Civil Court judge. This time frame changes depending on how many name change cases the Civil Court has to process which varies based on the time of year and the number of name change petition filings received. During summer months and major holidays, you can expect longer delays in obtaining a signed order.
Even after the order is signed by a Civil Court judge, there is still an additional 2 to 3 weeks of waiting time one will have to wait to publish the name change notice from the order in a court ordered designated newsaper and to receive the affidavit of publication for filing.
Once the affidavit of publication is filed, the process is complete and you can obtain a certified copy of the name change order for $6 which you can save for your records and use to change your name with government agencies like the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Social Security Office.
Christopher Tompkins is an Attorney that has been handling Legal Name Change Matters for 20 years in New York City frequently practicing in Queens County. Contact him at 212 962-5363. Email: NameChangeLawyer@gmail.com. Visit his website at
http://www.ny-legal-name-change-lawyer.com/
