Q: My 16yr old daughter wants to change her last name to her step father's name. Her father refuses to let her.
When she was 13 she started refusing to see him because she didn't like how he treated her. He never tried to see her or fix the relationship. He's in Maine we moved to VA almost 3yrs ago. He came to VA last yr for a week saw her for 2 hrs then refused to come see her again it broke her heart. To her my husband is her dad she wants his last name, real dad refuses to sign papers what can I do?
A: Once your daughter turns 18 she is legally competent to change her name and will not need any parental approval to do so. Once she reaches her 18th birthday then she can retain an attorney to have her name legally changed regardless of what her biological father says.
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