INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF A MINOR

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF AN ADULT

A person desiring to file an Application for Change of Name of an Adult must have been a bona fide resident of

Hamilton County for at least 60 days immediately prior to the filing of said application.

Fill in all blanks except Case No. and hearing dates.

A fee is required at the time of filing. Current Court Costs are posted at:

https://www.probatect.org/about/general-resources.

This fee must be paid in cash, certified check (made payable to PROBATE COURT), MasterCard,

Discover, American Express, or Visa. No personal checks or money orders will be accepted.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PUBLICATION: Beginning August 17, 2021, Ohio Law no longer

requires that applications to Change Name be set for formal hearing. However, a hearing may still be required in

the Court’s discretion. If a hearing is requested by the Court, the application will be set for hearing at a future

date and publication of notice may be required in a newspaper of general circulation in the County at least thirty

(30) days before the hearing on the application. Otherwise, the application will be considered by the Magistrate

who reviews the documents.

If publication is required, you will use the NOTICE OF HEARING ON CHANGE OF NAME for this purpose.

If you use the Cincinnati Court Index Press the NOTICE OF HEARING ON CHANGE OF NAME will be

left with the cashier and the Cincinnati Court Index Press will pick up the notice. The Cincinnati Court Index

Press will be paid directly by the Court from the initial filing fees for this case. After publication is completed,

the Cincinnati Court Index Press will send the Court a Proof of Publication and an Entry Approving Publication.

If you choose another newspaper for publication, it is your responsibility to send the newspaper the NOTICE OF

HEARING ON CHANGE OF NAME, pay the publication cost and bring the Proof of Publication and the Entry

Approving Publication with you to your hearing.

If the publication is not completed at least thirty (30) days prior to the hearing, the name change cannot be

granted and re-publication will be required at additional cost and delay to you.

The forms may be obtained from the Information Desk on the 9

floor of the Probate Court, 230 East 9

Street, Cincinnati, Ohio or by downloading the forms from our Web site, http://www.probatect.org.

STEP 1: COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING FORMS

Application for Change of Name of Adult (Form 21.00)

- Be sure to state your full legal name (first, middle and last) and full name requested after the change of

name (first, middle and last).

- You must include your reasons for seeking a change of name.

Affidavit in Support of Application (Form 21.01)

- Be sure to have it notarized or sign it in front of a clerk at the Court.

Entry Dispensing with hearing (Form 121.12)

- Complete this form if no hearing is required.

Judgement Entry Without Hearing Required (Form 21.10)

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- Fill in everything above the signature line for the Probate Judge.

- It is strongly recommended that this form be typewritten.

- This Entry is proof that you have legally changed your name and it is important that it be legible.

IF A HEARING IS REQUIRED, COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING EXTRA FORMS

Entry Setting Hearing and Ordering Notice (Form 21.03)

- Fill in the caption only.

- The hearing date will be assigned by the Magistrate

STEP 2: Assigning of Magistrate, reviewing of forms and setting of hearing

When all forms have been completed, present them to the Magistrates’ Assistant at the information desk on

the 9

Floor of Probate Court for a Magistrate to review (and setting of a hearing date if required).

STEP 3: FILING OF FORMS

All forms must be filed with the Cashier who will assign a case number. If Publication is required, the Cashier

will retain the “Application for Change of Name of Adult and Judgment Entry Setting Hearing and Ordering

Notice.” If you will be using the Cincinnati Court Index, the Cashier will also retain the Notice of Hearing on

Change of Name. At this time, the Cashier will require the payment of the filing fee.

STEP 4: THE HEARING – WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU AND WHAT TO EXPECT

Judgment Entry – Change of Name of Adult (Form 21.10)

- Fill in everything above the signature line for the Probate Judge.

- It is strongly recommended that this form be typewritten.

- This Entry is proof that you have legally changed your name and it is important that it is legible.

At the date and time of the hearing, you should report to the 9

floor of the Probate Court to the Information

Desk. The Clerk will inform you of the courtroom number. Give the Magistrate the Judgment Entry – Change

of Name of Adult. The Magistrate will ask you questions regarding the application and will decide whether

to grant the name change. Assuming the application is granted, you must then file the Judgment Entry –

Change of Name of Adult.

If you require certified copies of the JUDGMENT ENTRY – CHANGE OF NAME OF ADULT for Social

Security, school, or other purposes, the cashier will make the copies of the entry and certify the copies for a

nominal cost. You must send a certified copy of the JUDGMENT ENTRY- CHANGE OF NAME OF ADULT

to the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the State that maintains your birth record.

If you would like to obtain a new birth certificate and were born in Ohio, send the certified copy of the

Judgment Entry along with a fee (contact Vital Statistics to see what the current cost is) to:

Bureau of Vital Statistics

246 North High Street

P.O. Box 15098

Columbus, Ohio 43215-0098

(614) 466-2531

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Local Departments:

Born within City of Cincinnati limits

Cincinnati Department of Health

Division of Vital Statistics

1525 E. Elm Street

Cincinnati, Ohio 45210

(513) 352-2912

Born outside city limits but in Hamilton County

Hamilton County Department of Health

Division of Vital Statistics

250 William Howard Taft Road, 2

Floor

Cincinnati, Ohio 45219

(513) 946-7800

Born within City of St. Bernard limits

St. Bernard City Hall

110 Washington Street

St. Bernard, Ohio 45217

(513)242-7772

Born within City of Reading limits

City of Reading Health Department

1000 Market Street

Reading, Ohio 45215

(513)733-3725

Born within City of Norwood limits

Norwood Health Center

2059 Sherman Avenue

Norwood, Ohio 45212

(513)458-4600

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OBTAINING THE AMENDED BIRTH RECORD

FOR NAME CHANGES OR CONFORMED NAMES: You will need to send a certified copy of the entry approving the

name change to Bureau of Vital Statistics (ODH/VS) for processing. Please DO NOT send applications for amended

certificates with money/payment with your court paperwork. Please allow time to process the corrections to make the

request. Below are the three ways that a certificate can be purchased. Please do not place an order for a certificate if you

have not allowed at least 30 days for processing. You can confirm if the change has been completed by calling the Vital

Statistics Customer Service line at 614-466-2531 prior to placing your order.

Local Health Department

A birth certificate can be purchased from any local health department for persons born in Ohio. It is not restricted to

where the birth occurred. Below is the information for the local health department(s) in your county. Please contact

the office directly to verify how an order can be placed, the cost and whether the office is available for same day

service. Certificates will be available for issuance after allowing 30 days for processing.

Hamilton County General Health Dist

250 William Howard Taft Rd, 2

Floor

Cincinnati, OH 45219

Phone: (513) 946-7800

Cincinnati Health Dept., Office of

Vital Records

1525 Elm St., 4

Floor

Cincinnati, OH 452020

Phone: (513) 352-3120

Norwood City Health Department

2059 Sherman Ave

Norwood, OH 45212

Phone: (513) 458-4600

nline

Ordering a birth record through the ODH/VS online portal is the fastest way to obtain a certificate. Most orders are filled

within five business days and go out first class mail. Each certificate is $21.50 and can be ordered using credit card.

Please go to the following website to place your order after allowing 30 days for processing.

ttps://odhgateway.odh.ohio.gov/OrderBirthCertificates/

a Mail – USPS

Customers can also apply for a new certificate via mail. These requests go directly to the ODH/VS office and take

approximately two to three weeks to fulfill. Applications should not be sent until four weeks after the paperwork was

mailed by the court. A check or money order can be made payable to “Treasurer, State of Ohio” for $21.50 for each birth

certificate requested. Applications can be found online at

https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/know-our-

programs/vital-statistics/How-to-Order-Certificates and can be mailed to the address below with the appropriate

payment for copies.

hio Department of Health

Bureau of Vital Statistics

P.O. Box 15098

Columbus, Ohio 43215-0098