Legal change of name

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Legally change your name

From 31 August 2022, changing your name in the Northern Territory will be different.

This does not apply to applications submitted before or on 30 August 2022.

If you were born overseas, you must submit the following with your application:

proof that you've been an NT resident for 12 consecutive months, such as:
- bank statement with your name, current address and transactions within the NT
- Power and Water bills with proof of payment, your name and current address
- payslips from an employer in the NT showing your name and your employer's name or ABN number
certified copies of identity documents with your current name - if your name is not the same, you must provide a birth certificate and any previous change of name certificates
proof of citizenship or permanent residency status in Australia.

To change your name, follow these steps.

If you were born:

If you were born in the NT, you can choose to change your birth certificate to your new name.

To do this, you must:

If you can't provide your previous birth certificate, fill in and attach the statutory declaration.

If you were not born in the NT, contact the Births, Deaths and Marriages office where you were born.

You must sign the application in front of a witness over 18 years old.

You must submit your application with the following, by mail or in person to a Births, Deaths and Marriages office:

proof of identity documents and evidence of any previous name changes eg. change of name, marriage or birth certificate
a detailed reason for changing your name - statements like ‘I want to’ or ‘personal’ are not detailed enough
a marriage certificate if you're changing your name after getting married
payment for the change of name fee - check the fee
statutory declaration (if applicable)
supporting documents if you were born overseas.

After you've submitted your application, you may be asked to provide a national police check at your own cost.

This may delay your application.

If you have lost or misplaced an NT change of name certificate and need another, follow these steps:

Step 1. Fill in the application for certified copy of a name change.