Childs name change

Indiana
My 13 year old stepdaughter would like to legally change her last name to mine, without me adopting her . Can this be done, and if so, what steps do I take to do this ?
Also, would this affect her receiving child support from her father ?
Thanks for any advice you can give me on this matter !
Sincerely Greg Davis

[stealth2]

Does her father agree with the name change?

What is the name of your state? Indiana yes her father does agree to the name change ! What next ?

[stealth2]

Then Mom would need to petition the court to allow the change.

Indiana. So, should we retain an attorney to do this, or is this something we could handle ourself ?

[snostar]

This may help:
[url]http://www.state.in.us/legislative/ic/code/title34/ar28/ch2.html[/url]

[tigger22472]

I have a question. Does Bio dad realize that even with the name change he is still responsible for CS and other obligations?

Indiana. Yes the bio father does realize that his obligations including child support do not end. Where do we take it from here ? Thanks for any advice !

For an Indiana minors name change its pretty easy and you can do it all yourself. Here are the steps:

1. Go to [url]www.ai.org/judiciary[/url] go to self service and print the forms.
2. Fill the forms out and take them to your court house
3. In marion county there is a $109 filing fee
4. There are instructions in your forms on what to do next...you will need to file a publication in your local newspaper and so on...but like i said, there are instructions on all of that.
5. Type out a form for the bio father saying he is giving permission and have it notarized so that he doesnt have to appear in court.

Its all pretty easy but it will take some time so if your in a hurry dont waste time. The publication in the paper has to be there for 30 days before you will get a hearing date!

Good Luck! If you need anymore help my email is [email]shaunankayla@yahoo.com[/email]