How do I legally change my name in Arizona?

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To legally change your name in Arizona, you file an application in the superior court in the county where you reside, setting forth the reasons for the change and the name you wish to adopt, and the court may enter judgment substituting the adopted name for your original name .

The application must indicate, under penalty of perjury: whether you have been convicted of a felony; whether felony charges are pending against you in any jurisdiction for offenses under title 13, chapter 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 or 27 or any other offense involving false statements or misrepresentations about your identity; whether you are knowingly changing your name to that of another individual to commit or further such offenses; that you are making the application solely for your own best interest; that you acknowledge the name change will not release you from obligations incurred or harm rights of property or actions in your original name; whether you have been convicted in any state of an offense requiring sex offender registration; and whether you have served a copy of the application on the prosecuting agency of the county where you were convicted, if applicable .

A victim (as defined in section 13-4401) or a prosecutor has standing to contest the name change at any time before entry of judgment or up to one year after, and if you were convicted in Arizona you must serve a copy of the application on the prosecuting agency of the county of conviction (which must notify a victim who requested postconviction notice), or, if convicted in another state, on the prosecuting agency in that jurisdiction and the county attorney where you filed .

If you are later convicted of an offense under title 13, chapter 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 or 27 or any other offense involving false statements or misrepresentations about your identity, the superior court may set aside the name change judgment or deny a pending application .

On your request, the court may seal the application and judgment so they are not disclosed and are not a public record; this protection applies to a person protected under an order of protection or injunction against harassment or a victim of stalking under section 13-2923 (or an equivalent out-of-state offense), and a person who obtained a judgment on or after January 1, 2009 may request sealing .

If the court grants a name change for a person required to register under section 13-3821, it must order the person to register under the new name, use the prior name as an alias, and provide a copy of the order to the sheriff of the county where the person resides .