An adult who wants to legally change his or her name in Texas will find that a background check is necessary. Fingerprints must be provided and they will be run through state and federal databases in order to receive a criminal background check.
The petition for name change will be filed in a Texas court. Once the case number is assigned, the fingerprints can be submitted. The results of the background check will need to be transmitted to the court with the case number so that the results can be united with the case file for the judge to see.
There is also certain information which must be included in the petition for name change. This includes Driver’s license numbers for the past 10 years, whether the person has been convicted of a felony, must register as a sex offender, has been charged with an offense above a Class C misdemeanor, and other such information.
You cannot just run your own background check privately. It will need to be done through official channels, such as through Texas DPS, the FBI or a local police station. Check with your attorney or with local authorities if you are not sure where to go in your area.
All of these requirements are in place in order to prevent name changes that are requested for improper reasons, or are sought in order to cover up criminal activities such as defrauding creditors, evading sex offender registrations, or fleeing the law for some other reason. Some common and permissible reasons that adults seek a name change are: to have their last name match the rest of their family members, as part of an adult adoption, or for professional reasons.
It is common for an adult name change to occur in a divorce, without the person having to file a separate lawsuit. So, if you are about to divorce and think you may want to change your name, the time to do so is in the final divorce decree. Otherwise, you will have to file a new suit later on.
