Guam - Change Your Name (Deed Poll)

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Procedure

The person must file a Petition for Name change with the Superior Court. The Petition must include the place of birth, the residence of the person, his or her present name, the new proposed name, and the reason for the name change. If a minor is requesting a name change, the petition must include the name of both parents. Once a hearing date is set by the court, a copy of the notice of the petition and the hearing date must be posted in three public places in Hagatna and three public places in the person's home village. The notice must be published for at least four weeks prior to the hearing. Anyone who is objecting to the name change can appear and voice the grounds for their objection. The judge will then decide on whether to grant the name change.

• Obtain all necessary documents in applying for the change of name.
• Submit your application along with all other requirements.
• Once the new name or surname is accepted, you may proceed in registering your new name.

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Required Documents

• Certificate of Criminal Record
• Request Addressed to the Minister of Justice
• Application addressed to the Registrar
• Identity Card (original and photocopy)

Office Locations & Contacts

Supreme Court of Guam
Ste 300 Guam Judicial Center
120 West OBrien Drive
Hagta, Guam 96910-5174
Area Code for all phone numbers is "671".
Supreme Court of Guam contacts

Office of Vital Statistics

Eligibility

Any Guam resident can petition the court for a name change.

People choose to change their name for a variety of reasons. Maybe you just want to change the spelling of your name, you don't like the name your parents gave you, you want to get rid of your middle name, you want to remove any family associations, or maybe you just want a change. You can legally change your first name, middle name or surname, or any combination of those.

Fees

The legal fee is $775, the court fees are $320, and the posting fee is $75. This fee includes the preparation of the necessary court documents, the posting of the name change hearing, and one court hearing.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Change of Name Form

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
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Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
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sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
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e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

If the person desiring to change his name is under 18, then either one of the parents or a legal guardian must file the petition for the minor. There are many reasons people want to change their names. Some women who were divorced did not opt to have their maiden name restored in the final decree and now wish to return to their maiden name. Sometimes if a person moves here from a foreign country, he may wish to have a more western sounding name. A judge usually does not care about the reason for the name change as long as the purpose of the name change is not to avoid creditors.

Required Information

The Petition must include the place of birth, the residence of the person, his or her present name, the new proposed name, and the reason for the name change.

If a minor is requesting a name change, the petition must include the name of both parents.

Need for the Document

If you are using, or wish to use, a name other than your registered name, there is no legal requirement that you formally change your name. It is, however, recommended that you change your name officially, both for identification and as evidence of your name change.

Name change generally refers to the legal act by a person of adopting a name different from their name at birth, marriage or adoption. The procedures and ease of a name change vary between jurisdictions.

Information which might help

• File a petition in the Superior Court of Guam for a change of name.
• The petition must specify the following information: place of birth and residence of applicant, his or her present name, the name proposed, the reason for the change of name and, if the father of the applicant is not living, the name of the relatives of the applicant, and their place(s) of residence.
• The Court then issues an Order to Show Cause why the petition should not be granted and must set a hearing for four to eight weeks from the time of the application. It will take at least one month and, except in extraordinary circumstances, no more than two months to complete this process.
• The OSC is then published by posting (by the clerk of court) in three public places in Hagta for four consecutive weeks and in the district, town, or village where the petitioner lives.
• If no one objects to the petition for name change, it is granted.
• You must then file the decree changing your name with the Office of Vital Statistics (Department of Public Health and Social Services) within 30 days of the issuance of the decree.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

You may want to change your name because:

• You have just gotten married
• You have divorced
• You just want a change
• In case of adoption

External Links

Supreme Court of Guam

Government of Guam

Legal Resources

Government of Guam Directory

Department of Health and Social Services

Others

How you should go about changing your name will depend upon which category you fit into. Changing your name after marriage or divorce is quite a simple process, while changing your name 'just because' requires a little more effort, but it is still quite straight forward and a lot easier than it used to be.

To change your name, submit a petition to your local Superior Court that details the reasons you'd like to change your name. After the court approves your request, you'll then need to update your Social Security card, driver's license and passport.