Florida Form 12.982(a) adult name-change preparation checklist

Start with the free official form

Florida Courts currently publishes Form 12.982(a), Petition for Change of Name (Adult), dated February 2018. The official PDF is eight pages: three pages of instructions followed by the five-page petition. Read all eight pages before using this checklist.

Source checked September 24, 2026. Confirm the revision on the current Florida Courts forms index before starting.

Confirm that this is the petition already selected

The official instructions describe this form for an adult asking the court to change that adult's name. They state that it is not used in connection with a dissolution of marriage or adoption of children and direct certain name-change requests connected with a pending dissolution or adoption to those cases.

Sun State cannot determine whether this petition applies, whether the person is eligible, where to file, whether another pending case changes the procedure, whether a requested name is available, or whether the court will grant the request. Review the official instructions and seek qualified help if the selection is uncertain.

1. Caption, current name, requested name, and residence

Organize the judicial circuit, county, case number, division, current full legal name, and requested new name exactly as the petitioner independently intends to enter them. The petition also asks for the Florida county and street address where the petitioner lives.

The official instructions direct filing in the county where the petitioner lives, but Sun State cannot determine residency or venue, select a courthouse, or decide whether the address or requested name should be entered differently.

2. Birth, parents, and lifetime residence history

The petition asks for the petitioner's date and place of birth, parents' full legal names, and applicable parental maiden names. It also asks for every place the petitioner has lived since birth, with dates and addresses, and provides a checkbox when those facts continue on an attached page.

Prepare the information from records the petitioner trusts. The filler does not research missing history, reconcile conflicting records, draft an attachment, or decide how much detail is legally sufficient.

3. Family and former names

The family section includes marital status, a spouse's full legal name when applicable, and the names, ages, and addresses of all children—including children over 18—when the corresponding selection is made. The former-name section asks about prior court-ordered changes, marriage-related changes, and other names by which the petitioner has been known or called.

The printed form states that a copy of a prior name-change order or marriage certificate is attached for the corresponding prior-change entry. Sun State does not determine which selections apply, whether an attachment is required, or how a former name affects the fingerprint and hearing process.

4. Occupation, employment, business, profession, and education

Gather the petitioner's occupation, current employer, and employment history for the past five years. The petition also has business-ownership choices and fields for a business name, address, position, and involvement date.

The profession section asks whether the petitioner is in a profession and provides space for practice history. The education section asks for schools from which the petitioner graduated, degrees, and graduation dates. Both sections allow the petitioner to indicate that facts continue on an attached page.

5. Criminal and registration history

The petition presents criminal-history selections using detailed printed language and, when criminal history is selected, asks for dates, locations, and events. It separately asks whether the petitioner has ever been required to register as a sexual predator and whether the petitioner has ever been required to register as a sexual offender.

6. Bankruptcy and creditor judgments

The bankruptcy section asks whether the petitioner has been adjudicated bankrupt and, when applicable, for the date and location. The creditor-judgment section asks whether money judgments have been entered against the petitioner and provides rows for dates, amounts, creditors, the court and case number, and payment dates.

Use the petitioner's records to prepare the customer-supplied entries. The software cannot determine whether a proceeding or obligation fits the form's wording or whether additional information should be attached.

7. Fingerprints, purpose, rights, and hearing procedure

The official instructions say that, unless the petitioner is seeking to restore a former name, fingerprints must be submitted in an approved manner for state and national criminal-history checks. They direct petitioners to the clerk for fingerprint-process information and local hearing procedure. The petition also contains fixed statements about the records check, purpose of the request, property rights, and civil rights.

Sun State cannot determine whether fingerprints are required, whether a former-name exception applies, whether a background check is complete, whether civil rights were suspended or restored, whether notice or publication is required, when a hearing may be requested, what evidence to bring, or how the hearing will proceed. Confirm every current local requirement with the clerk or obtain legal advice.

8. Contact information, oath, signature, and notarization

The final page states that the petitioner is swearing or affirming under oath that the petition's claims are truthful and warns that knowingly making a false statement can result in fines or imprisonment. It includes the petitioner's printed name, address, telephone, fax, and designated email, followed by signature and notarization fields.

Sun State leaves the signing date, signature, notarization, identification, and nonlawyer-assistance fields blank for manual completion. Review every entry and attachment before signing before a notary public or deputy clerk.

Complete the petition already selected

The official blank PDF is free. Sun State's optional $39 self-service software transfers customer-supplied entries into its configured Form 12.982(a) and delivers editable, print, and unchanged blank PDFs with the official instructions. It does not choose the form, draft narrative answers, order a background check, file the petition, schedule a hearing, or review legal sufficiency.

Official information and independent help