Name change in California

These are the steps most people follow for a name change in California, in order. Each links to its official source and the date we last checked it. When you're ready, build a personalized checklist that covers every document at once.

This is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change, so always confirm with the official source linked on each step, and talk to a lawyer or legal-aid organization about your specific situation.

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  1. Step 1: Get a court order for your name change

    • In California you change your legal name by filing papers in court. If a judge agrees, you get a court order that states your new legal name, and you use that order to change your name on your identity documents.
    • To change your name for reasons related to gender identity, California uses form NC-200, the Petition for Change of Name to Conform to Gender Identity. You use it to start a case to change your name, or your minor child's name.

    Cost: The filing fee is $435 to $450. If you cannot afford it, you can ask the court to waive it. Publishing in a newspaper has its own fee, which the guide does not state.

    💸 This fee can be waived. Form: Form FW-001 — Request to Waive Court Fees. The court says: "You only need to meet 1 of these to qualify. You don’t have to meet all 3. Option 1: you receive public benefits"

    Timeline: a judge makes a decision in about 2 to 3 months

    Varies by court/clerk.

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    • You pay a filing fee of $435 to $450. If you cannot afford it, you can ask the court to waive it. Before a judge can decide, your forms must be published in a newspaper for one month. But you do not have to publish if your name change is to match your gender identity, or if you file it with a request for gender change recognition. A judge makes a decision in about 2 to 3 months.
    • The Judicial Council lists form NC-200 as the petition that starts this kind of case. The courts also publish how-to instructions and form packets for a name change and for a gender change.

    📝 Get the official form: Form NC-200 — Petition for Change of Name to Conform to Gender Identity

    Sources

  2. Step 2: Update your Social Security record

    • Social Security still changes the legal name on your Social Security record. A valid court order for a name change is one of the events Social Security recognizes as changing your legal name, and you apply with Form SS-5, the Application for a Social Security Card.

    Do first: Court order

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    • Social Security's policy manual defines your legal name as your first name and last name — the name you use to sign legal documents. For a person born in the United States, that is generally the name shown on the birth certificate, unless the name changed through an event such as a marriage or a valid court order for a name change. The sex marker on your record is handled separately and under a different rule — see the Social Security sex marker step.

    📝 Get the official form: Form SS-5 — Application for a Social Security Card

    Sources

  3. Step 3: Update your driver's license or state ID

    • To change the name on your California driver's license or ID, first change your name with the Social Security Administration. Then use the DMV's online application to apply for a new DL/ID card with your new name. Your name change is not complete until you come into a DMV field office.

    Cost: The page does not state an amount. It says to be ready to pay the appropriate licensing fee.

    Do first: Court order

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    • The DMV checks your information with Social Security first. If the two do not match, your application is denied. Bring proof of your true full name from the DMV's acceptable documents list. If you have legally changed your name before, the DMV may also ask for a name change document that shows your legal name both before and after the change.

    Sources

  4. Step 4: Update your U.S. passport

    • To update the name on your U.S. passport, submit a passport application with an original or certified copy of the document that legally changed your name, such as a court order.

    Cost: No fee when you use Form DS-5504 within a year of issuance ($60 if you want it expedited). Otherwise standard application fees apply.

    Do first: Court order

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    • If your name changed within 1 year of your most recent passport being issued, mail Form DS-5504 with the name-change document — you will not have to submit any fees for this service. If it has been more than a year, renew by mail with Form DS-82 and a certified name-change document, or apply in person with Form DS-11. If you have no legal documentation of the change, you apply in person with Form DS-11 plus Form DS-60, Affidavit Regarding a Change of Name.

    📝 Get the official form: Form DS-82 — U.S. Passport Renewal

    Sources

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Where to get help

These organizations publish their own guides or can help you directly.

Last reviewed 2026-07-13.