Name & Gender Changes

Columbia Name & Gender Change Attorney

At Columbia Family Law Group, we understand that you may want to change your name, gender, or both for any number of personal reasons. Amy Salladay, our Columbia family law attorney, at Columbia Family Law Group, LLC can help you through the process of changing either your name, gender marker, or both through the court system. With the guidance provided by Amy Salladay, you can be confident that you have a knowledgeable and understanding advocate at your side for this personal process.

Contact our team at (573) 662-4514.

What You Need to Know About Name and Gender Changes

The first step to changing your name and/or gender marker is to file with the appropriate court system. You can file either in the state you were born in or the state you reside in. If you wish to change your gender marker and were born outside of the state of Missouri, it may be easier to file in the state you were born in. Currently, the filing fees in Boone County, Missouri are $185.50 for a name change filed in family court and $100.50 for a gender change in civil court. These fees may change from time to time, and vary by county. As a result, these numbers should be considered estimates of the filing fees you may have to pay.

Once your case is filed with the Court, the name change process can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months depending on whether the Judge will grant your request in chambers without a hearing and what county your case is filed in. Some counties offer fewer dockets for name and/or gender changes, which means there are fewer opportunities for you to have a hearing.

After we obtain a final judgment changing your name and/or gender, we will request multiple copies of your “Certified” Judgment. A copy of this judgment must be sent to the Department of Vital Statistics to obtain an amended birth certificate. Our office can assist you in this process if you would like us to do so. You will also need to send certified copies of your judgment to various other government agencies and private businesses, which our attorneys can advise you about.

Although it is possible for you to file for a name and/or gender change without the help of an attorney, our attorney can help you through the process and reduce the stress of working through a court case. Amy Salladay currently offers Name Changes for a flat fee of $750 and a Name and Gender Change for $1,000, which includes the filing fees and a free consultation with our attorney.

For more information regarding the process of a Name and/or Gender change, you can read our blog post regarding this issue here.