File a Petition to Change Your Name

After submitting a request to rename, the court may take up to three months to obtain a court order. First of all, you submit your petition. After that, there is a trial date for 6 to 12 weeks. If you take all the necessary steps and the court approves your request, you will receive a court order called "Decree" to change your name. Some courts may be more busy and time consuming than other courts. Please read the instructions carefully. In case you want to change the name according to gender or in other special circumstances, contents may differ. This is explained in all the following steps, so be sure to read it all.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, please click on the details of how to maintain the name change or see the name change program information form (Form NC - 400 - INFO) of the Address Privacy Plan (Home Security) Please refer to.

No court order is required to change California driver's license, social security card, or US passport. There is no longer a court order to issue a new birth certificate (California state birth record) that reflects gender changes. If born outside California you can ask the court order to change the birth certificate. If you want to know more about changing your name and gender, if you only want to change your gender or name so that it matches your gender and you want to find all options, see the "Gender change" section Please give me. Reject name change

In certain limited circumstances, the judge may not agree to change your name. Please click to find the main reason your petition will be dismissed

If you want to change your name for reasons other than marriage or divorce, it is usually necessary to first submit the application to the court with a legal name change process. You also need to attend the hearing and explain the reason for the name change request. If your petition is approved, the court enters the decree by your new name. First of all, you usually do not need to file a petition to the court. Instead, a copy of the marriage certificate (if any) and an SS-5 form available on the SSA website with another identification and citizenship certificate or a legally proven entry permission (eg passport Or driver's license)

There are three basic steps in the court to change your name. The first step is to submit a petition to the appropriate court with the other necessary forms and pay the application fee. In most states, the applicant (applicant) must post the application in the local newspaper. In addition, the petitioner may be required to notify certain individuals affected by the name change. When searching for minor name changes, one or both of minors' parents usually petition petitions. If only one parent submits an application on behalf of a minor, it is usually necessary to agree with another parent. Complications may occur if you can not find a custodial parent, you can not be imprisoned or living outside the city. For small name changes, consider changing the name to the minor's best interests and reviewing issues such as supervision and notification to parents.