Question: Where do I get an original copy of my name change done in 1984? Are there forms to fill out, and where do I send for them and how much does it cost? When a name change is done, should my original birth certificate be changed to reflect the new name?
Answer: Certified copies of name change records dating as far back as 1874 may be obtained from the Hawaii State Archives.
More recent name changes, currently going back to 2010, are on file with the state Lieutenant Governor’s Office, which processes name changes in Hawaii. (Earliest records were handled by what was then known as the secretary of Hawaii.)
Although records go back to 1874, they are only complete from 1910 through 2010, said Luella Kurkjian, chief of the Historical Records Branch at the Archives.
In recent years, she said, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office has maintained name change files for two years, “but there is no particular requirement” that it do so. That means records may be kept there for a longer or lesser time.
All name change documents are filed by petition number, as issued by the Lieutenant Governor’s
Office.
You may call the state Archives reference desk at 586-0329, or the circulation desk at 586-0316, after
9 a.m. weekdays, to determine whether your name change is on file, Kurkjian said. Or you may visit the state Archives, on the grounds of Iolani Palace, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays, except on state holidays.
If a search of the indexes and records turns up your document, you will be helped through the ordering process. Or you may download a form at ags.hawaii. gov/archives. Click on “Forms and Fees.”
The fee for a copy or copies of a name change document is based on the number of pages requested, at 25 cents a page, plus a $2.25 certification charge per document. If you want the document mailed, you will be charged postage and handling.
“Payment in advance is required,” Kurkjian said. “Generally, we ask for five working days to provide the document beginning with receipt of payment.”
She also explained that there are two parts to a name change document: the decree or order, signed by the lieutenant governor, which officially changes a name; and the original name change petition submitted to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.
“Generally, for official purposes such as obtaining a driver’s license, State ID or passport, only the decree or order, certified, is required,” Kurkjian said. The decree is usually one or two pages.
The petition may be five to 10 pages and may be considered confidential because it contains personal information. Because of that, the petition is available only to the subject of the name change or the authorized representative.
AMENDING BIRTH CERTIFICATES
You do not have to amend your birth certificate to reflect the name change, unless the change was ordered in a court of law, said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health. If so, then amending the birth certificate is required.
However, if the legal name change is done through the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, then amending the birth certificate is optional, she said.
“Our vital-records staff said most people do decide to amend their birth certificate upon completion of a legal name change, and our staff recommends individuals take this extra step to facilitate government functions with legal-presence requirements, such as driver’s license requirement.”
For information on name changes, go to ltgov.hawaii. gov/the-office/name-changes.
MAHALO
To Mr. Harrison of Straub Hospital, who helped me after I had a bad fall on King Street on May 16. He picked me up, called paramedics and stayed with me until they came. Thank you for not being afraid to become involved. — Emerence West
