California

• Introduction
• Filling out court papers
• Header
• CM-010
• NC-300
• NC-110
• NC-330
• NC-125
• Specifics for Los Angeles County
• LACIV 109
• LACIV 226
• Filing your court papers
• Certified Copies
• Birth Certificate
• VS-24B
• VS-20
• Notarizing your VS-20
• Mailing the Application
• Driver's License or ID Card
• DL329S
• DL44
• Visiting the DMV

Introduction

To change your name and gender in California, you need to ask a court to order the change. You won't need to appear at a hearing unless there's a problem. The court will automatically approve your name and gender change after a 6-week waiting period.

Forms

You can fill out your forms by hand with blue or black ink, or using a computer with a black font.

Forms can be filled out on your computer using your web browser (e.g. Firefox, Chrome, Edge), a PDF reader (e.g. Okular, Acrobat), or other software that can edit PDFs (e.g. LibreOffice Draw, Xournal++). I used LibreOffice Draw for my forms.

Cost

Ignoring incidental and variable costs such as parking at government facilities, the cost of my name change came out to $789.84. Here's the breakdown of all the costs:

Item	Cost
Court Filing Fee in Los Angeles	$435.00
Certified Court Copies	$121.50
VS-20 Form Notarization	$15.00
Postage Stamp for Amendment Request	$0.73
Birth Record Amendment	$26.00
DMV Driver’s License Update	$36.76
Passport Photos	$15.00
Priority Mail for Passport Application	$9.85
Passport Renewal	$130.00
Total	$789.84

Other resources

• California's self-help guide.
• The Transgender Law Center's ID Please Guide
• The National Center for Transgender Equality's ID Documents Center

Filling out court papers

Header

At the top of every court form, there's a section called the "Header", which contains information about you and your case. Fill each of these out in the same way. You'll see header examples for all of the court forms covered by this guide.

ATTORNEY OR PARTY WITHOUT ATTORNEY

Here, enter your current (unchanged) legal name and the address where you live. Some forms will provide dedicated spaces for your address details and some just expect you to write your address after your name.

If the form asks, provide your phone number and email address.
If the form has an ATTORNEY FOR section, enter Self-Represented or In Pro Per.
Anything that doesn't apply, such as FIRM NAME, STATE BAR NUMBER, or FAX NO., you can leave blank.

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF...

After this text, enter the county where you'll be filing your case. For me, this was Los Angeles, so after I entered it, the full text read SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF Los Angeles.

If your form asks for it, you can find your court's address on its website. If it has separate street and mailing addresses, put those in their respective places. If not, put the same address in both the Street and Mailing address areas.

PETITION OF

In this section, put your current (unchanged) legal name

CASE NAME

In this section, enter "Petition of Current Legal Name for Change of Name and Gender", replacing Current Legal Name with your current legal name. If any future forms ask for a case name or a short title, use the same thing there.

CM-010

The first form you should fill out is the CM-010. This form is required for all new cases, and it tells the court what your case is about. Start by filling out the header as detailed here, and then do the following:

• Under CIVIL CASE COVER SHEET, select Unlimited
• For number 1, select Other petition (not specified above)
• For number 2, select is not
• For number 3, select option B (nonmonetary; declaratory or injunctive relief)
• For number 4, enter 1
• For number 5, select is not
• Enter your name and the current date
• Sign on the signature line
• Leave everything else blank

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

NC-300

 

The NC-300 form is your actual request to change your name and gender. Start by filling out the header as detailed here, and then do the following:

• Under PETITION FOR RECOGNITION OF CHANGE OF GENDER AND SEX IDENTIFIER, check the two boxes labeled AND CHANGE OF NAME, and AND ISSUANCE OF NEW CERTIFICATES.
• For number 1, put your current legal name next to (present name), and check the box for which gender you want to change to.
• Check the box for number 4 and put the name you want to switch to after (proposed name)
  • For a, check the box labeled resides in this county
  • Check the box for b
  • Check the box for c
• Check the box for number 5
  • Check the box for a, as well as the and change of name box under a.
• For the checkboxes in the declaration paragraph, check the box for the gender that you want to switch to.

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

NC-110

The NC-110 form has information about you and your name change. It's required for all California name changes. If you're changing multiple people's names, you'll need a separate NC-110 form for each person.

Start by filling out the header as detailed here, and then do the following:

• Where it says "Attachment", write 1 of 1, or change that as needed if you have multiple NC-110 forms.
• Under field b, check Self if you're changing your name, or Other if you're changing someone else's name.
  • In field 1, write your current legal name
  • In field 2, write the name you want to change it to
  • In field 3, write your date of birth and check the correct box about your age
  • In field 4, put the county and state where you were born
  • In field 5, check the box corresponding to your AGAB
  • In field 6, write your current address
• Under field c, enter the reason for your name change (e.g. "To conform to my gender identity (female)").
• Under field d, select your relationship to the person whose name is being changed. Select Self if you're changing your own name.
• Under field f, check the boxes corresponding to your current legal situation, and then print your name, write the current date, and sign.
• Under the text that says "Each petitioner must sign", write the date and your name, and then sign.

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

NC-330

 

The NC-330 form will be your court order once the judge finishes filling out the form and signs it. In order to prevent mistakes, you have to fill out part of the order.

• Under PETITION FOR RECOGNITION OF CHANGE OF GENDER AND SEX IDENTIFIER, check the two boxes labeled AND CHANGE OF NAME, and AND ISSUANCE OF NEW CERTIFICATES.
• If you're changing your name, check the box next to number 3, stating that you included a request to change your name in the petition.
• For number 9, select the gender you want to change to.
• If you'd like a name change to be shown on your court order, check the box next to number 10.
  • If you're changing your name as part of this court order, check the is changed to box and put the name you'd like to change to after (new name).
  • If you've already changed your name previously, you're not changing it again in this court order, and you would like your previous name change displayed on this court order, check the was previously changed by court decree box and put the name your previous court order changed you to, after (name). If you do this, you will have to attach a copy of your previous name change court decree.
• Leave everything else blank. The judge will fill in anything else that needs to be filled in.

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

NC-125

 

The NC-125 form is an order for any interested parties to file objections to your name change within 6 weeks. Objections must have good cause to object to the name change. As stated on the page, concerns that the proposed change doesn't actually match your gender identity don't count as good cause. Objections are typically used for concerns that you are changing your name for fraudulent purposes.

If an objection with good cause is filed within the 6-week period, an in-person hearing date will be set to determine whether the name change should be granted or not. You will be informed of this by mail.

• For number 1, put your current legal name after Petitioner (name).
• Under Present name, put your current legal name.
• Under Proposed name, put the name you want to change to.
• Leave everything else blank.

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

Specifics for Los Angeles County

LACIV 109

 

The LACIV 109 form is required for all new civil cases in L.A. County. It's used to determine the correct courthouse location to file the case in. For a name/gender change, you must file in the judicial district where you live. Refer to the District Map to figure out which district you belong to. If you already know which courthouse you're going to file in, you can find the district it belongs to on its website or on the LASC website.

Once you know which district you're filing in, fill out the form as follows:

• Fill in your short title as detailed here
• Under Applicable Reasons for Choosing Courthouse Location, circle the number seven (7)
• On page 4, check the box that says 4305 Petition for Change of Name/Change of Gender
• On page 5, under Reason, check box 7
• Fill in your address information
• In step 5, enter the district where you're going to file
• Sign and date the form

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

LACIV 226

 

The LACIV 226 form is required for all name changes in L.A. county. It's used to perform a background check. This form is confidential, so it will not be part of the public record.

• Under Sex, put your AGAB.
• Under Race/Ethnicity, put your race (e.g. White, Black, Native American, etc.).
• Under Social Security, put your social security number.
• Under Driver's License or ID, put your Driver's License number or another form of government ID.
• Under Place of Birth, put the name and address of the hospital where you were born. This can be found on your birth certificate if you don't know it.
• If you've had your name legally changed before, put all of your previous names under Other name(s) used.
• On the line labeled Date, write the current date, and then sign on the Signature line.
• Leave everything else blank.

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

Filing your court papers

Once your papers are all filled out, you'll need to file them with the court. This page describes that process and what you need to be aware of.

What to bring

• Fill out and bring all the court forms described in the pages before this one, including any county-specific forms, plus at least one extra copy of each form.
• Bring a payment method (Cash, Card, or Check). If you're using a card, try to bring multiple cards or alternative payment methods in case the transaction doesn't go through. See instructions for filling out checks.

Where to file

You should file your name and gender change in the nearest courthouse to where you live that handles civil cases (most of them do). To find your nearest courthouse if you don't know which one it is, you'll need to find your county's court locator. For example, here's Los Angeles County's Filing Court Locator.

How to file

 

To file your papers, you'll need to show up at the courthouse in person with your documents, or mail your documents to the courthouse. It's recommended that you show up in person so that the court clerk can look over your documents and ensure that they're all filled out correctly.

Make sure you don't have any items prohibited by the court when you show up. Look up the prohibited items list for your county. For example, here's the list for Los Angeles County.

When you get to the courthouse, you'll have to go through a metal detector. There will be containers for any metallic items you have, such as your car keys, phone, watch, etc. Place your items in the containers and put them on the conveyor belt that goes through the scanner, and then walk through the metal detector. If it goes off, a guard will use a metal detecting wand to determine what caused it to go off, and may ask you to remove an item and go through the detector again.

Once you get through security, you'll need to find the court clerk's office. There will usually be separate civil and criminal clerk's offices. You'll want to find the civil clerk's office, which is often located on the second floor. When you enter the courthouse, there are typically signs telling you where to go. If you can't find the office, ask a guard or other employee where the civil clerk's office is located.

In the clerk's office, there will be a window with a court clerk behind it. Ask the clerk to file your case and give them all your documents. The clerk will look over your documents to make sure they're filled out correctly, assign a case number, stamp all the documents, and then return your copies. These copies are called "conformed" copies, and serve as proof of what you filed in court, in case you ever need to provide that.

Fees

For all new court cases in California, you have to pay a filing fee of $435 to $450. See the Statewide Civil Fee Schedule to figure out what the fee will be for you. The entry you're looking for is under "Unlimited Civil Cases", and it's called "Petition for a decree of change of name or gender". Make sure to check for any asterisks as the fee will vary in some counties.

Once your petition is granted, you'll need to request certified copies of your decree at the courthouse where you filed. Each certified copy costs $40.50. You can get away with two certified copies, but it's best to get at least three just in case.

You can also ask the court to waive the fees by filling out a Fee Waiver request. If you're eligible and the court approves your request, you won't have to pay a filing fee, and you'll receive three free certified copies of your decree.

Certified Copies

If you got here, congratulations! Your petition has been granted. You've just completed the hardest and most expensive part of this process. In order to finalize the name and gender change process, you'll need to notify various agencies of your name change. To do that, you'll need certified copies of your court order.

Certified copies are copies of your court order with a stamp from the court clerk. Certified copies serve as proof of the court order. Most agencies will only accept certified copies, and not regular or notarized copies.

Each court has different procedures for how to stamp the order. In California, the stamp is usually only placed on the back of the last page of the order.

How to get certified copies

 

You can get certified copies by going to the court where the case was filed, requesting certified copies of your court order from the court clerk, and giving them your case number. Each copy will cost $40.50 without a fee waiver. You can get away with two certified copies, but it's best to get at least three just in case. Three copies will cost $121.50. If you have a fee waiver, you'll receive 3 certified copies for free.

Once you've paid the applicable fee and received the copies, you can start notifying government agencies of your name change. You can start with your Birth Certificate, since that takes the longest and there's a 30-day deadline, or Social Security, since you have to update that before most other documents.

Birth Certificate

VS-24B

The VS-24B form is used to amend your birth certificate, such as to change your name and gender.

If you only change your name, you'll receive a two-page birth certificate listing both your new and old name.

If you change both your name and gender, you'll receive a new birth certificate without any indication that it isn't the original. The original birth certificate is then sealed and can only be obtained with a court order.

• On page 1
  • Under Applicant Name and Mailing Address, use your new name (the one you're changing to), and put the address where you'd like to receive your new birth certificate and/or any mail pertaining to your request. This does not have to be your permanent address.
  • It is recommended to provide an email address so that the CDPH can notify you when they receive the request and when they mail out the new birth certificate.
  • Under Calculate the Fee, write $26 in Total Fee unless you want additional copies on top of the one included with the amendment, in which case, you can add $29 to the total fee for each extra copy.
• On page 2
  • In Part 1, fill out your information as it appears on your current (unchanged) birth certificate. This information is used by the CDPH to find your original birth record.
  • In Part 2, check the boxes to the left of all the options you'd like to change. For example, "Child's First Name", "Child's Middle Name", "Child's Last Name", and "Sex". Then, put the new details in the boxes to the right of the items you checked.
  • Under Reason for the Correction
    • If you're changing your gender, write "To change the sex specified on my birth certificate to conform to my gender identity and not for any fraudulent purposes."
    • If you're changing your name, write "Name is changed pursuant to Superior Court of California, County of [county of name change], Court Case Number [name change court case number], dated [mm/dd/yyyy]." If you changed your name in a state other than California, replace "Superior Court of California" with the name of the court that issued the order.
    • If you're changing both, write both of the reasons.
  • Under Printed Name, put your new name (the one you're changing to).
  • Under Relationship, write "Self".
  • Under Address, put the address where you'd like to receive your new birth certificate and/or any mail pertaining to your request. This does not have to be where you live, just somewhere you can receive mail.
  • Sign and date the form. Despite the form saying that two people must sign, if you're changing your own record, only you have to sign the form.

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

VS-20

The VS-20 form is a sworn statement that you are authorized to receive a copy of the birth certificate once it's amended. This form must be notarized by a California-licensed Notary Public before it's sent to the CDPH. You can learn more about that on the next page.

• Above Applicant's Printed Name, write your new legal name (the one you want to change to).
• Under Registrant, write your new legal name (the one you want to change to).
• Under Applicant's Relationship to Registrant, write "Self".
• Leave everything else blank. You will need to complete the rest in the presence of a Notary Public.

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

Notarizing your VS-20

After you fill out your VS-20 form as detailed on the previous page, you'll need to notarize it. Notarizing a document means visiting a Notary Public, who is a person entrusted by the state to verify your identity.

The Notary Public will look at your ID, verify that you are who you say you are, fill out the Certificate of Acknowledgement, and stamp and sign your form. Then, they'll have you fill out the portion of the VS-20 that has to be completed in their presence. Once the notarization is complete, they'll have you sign and provide your fingerprint in their record book so that they have a record of the notarization.

Where to notarize a document

Notaries can be found in many places. Most UPS stores have a notary. That's where I notarized my VS-20. If you use a UPS store's notary services, verify on their website that the location you're visiting has a notary before going. Once you arrive, tell the cashier that you need to notarize a document and they'll get the notary for you.

What to bring

 

When you visit a notary, you will need your partially filled out VS-20 form, a form of photo ID such as a driver's license or passport, your name change court order, and a payment method to pay for the notary's services. In California, notaries cannot charge you more than $15 for their services by law. In other states, the cost of a notary's services may vary.

Mailing the Application

Once you've filled out the VS-24B and VS-20, and had the VS-20 notarized, you'll need to mail your amendment application to the California Department of Public Health's Vital Records department (CDPH-VR).

What to include

You'll need to include the following items in your application:

• Both pages of your filled-out VS-24B form
• Your notarized VS-20 form
• A certified copy of your name change court order (this will not be returned to you)
• A check or money order for the amount you calculated in the Calculate the Fee section on the VS-24B page, payable to "CDPH - Vital Records". See instructions for filling out checks.
• Optionally, include a photocopy of your current birth certificate to speed up the process of finding your original record.

Payment Methods

The CDPH only accepts payment by check or money order. They do not accept cash or card details. You can get checks from your bank or purchase a money order from the post office when you go to mail your documents. Make sure to fill out your check or money order so that it's payable to "CDPH - Vital Records". Take a look at our guide on filling out checks. If your payment method is not provided correctly, the CDPH will return your application.

How to mail

For mailing instructions, see Sending Mail in the United States. The CDPH allows you to fold your documents to fit in a standard-sized envelope.

After Mailing

If you provided an email address on the application, the CDPH will send an email notification once they start processing your application. Don't expect to receive an email notification until 4 to 6 weeks after you mailed it. They might also send a postcard by mail. Don't expect that until 6 to 8 weeks after you mailed your application.

Once the amendment request has been processed and the CDPH mails out your new birth certificate, they'll send an email notifying you of that. For me, this took 86 days from the day I mailed my application and 57 days from the email notification that my request was received.

Driver's License or ID Card

DL329S

In order to change the gender marker on your Driver's License or ID Card, you need to fill out form DL329S. You need to fill this form out even if you have a court order changing your gender. The gender marker you select here doesn't have to match your court order or any other documents.

• Under Name, put your legal name. If you're changing your name as well, use your new name here.
• Under Date of Birth, put your date of birth
• Under CA Driver License/Identification Card Number, put the number listed on your Driver's License or ID Card.
• Under Mailing Address, put the address where you receive mail from the DMV. Use your new address if you're changing that as well.
• Under Residence Address, put the address where you live. Use your new address if you're changing that as well.
• Where it asks what gender you're requesting, select the gender you're changing to
• Sign and date the form
• Leave the DMV Use Only section blank

Example

Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):

DL44

Once your DL329S form is filled out, you'll need to fill out an application for a new Driver's License or ID Card. The DMV no longer provides paper applications, so you'll need fill out your application online using form eDL44, or on a computer at the DMV.

When the application asks you what you want to do, select "Correct or update my driver's license or ID card", and then select whether you have a driver's license or an ID card.

When asked for your full legal name, enter your new (changed) name. When asked for any previous names, enter your previous (unchanged) name.

Once you fill out your online form, a confirmation email will be sent to you with a code. Take that code to any DMV field office to complete your application.

Visiting the DMV

 

Once you've filled out your DL44 form, you'll need to visit the DMV with your confirmation code.

Once you check in, you'll be given a ticket number. There will be a screen that shows the ticket numbers currently being served. Once your ticket is called, it will be displayed on the screen along with the window number that you should go to. It will also be announced by a speaker.

What to bring

When you go to the DMV, bring your eDL44 confirmation code, form DL329S if you're changing your gender marker, and a certified copy of your name change court order if you're changing your name. If you're applying for a REAL ID, you may need to bring extra documents. Refer to the REAL ID section below for more information.

REAL ID

If you already have a REAL ID, you won't need to bring any documents except your current DL/ID card and the documents mentioned above. Your new ID will automatically be a REAL ID.

If your current Driver's License or ID card is not a REAL ID and you choose to upgrade it to a REAL ID, you'll need extra documents. You can choose not to upgrade if you don't want to.

You can check whether your current ID is a REAL ID by looking at the top right corner of it. If it has a golden bear with a star, it's a REAL ID. If it says "Federal Limits Apply" or doesn't have anything there, it's not a REAL ID.

Cost

The cost of updating your DL/ID is $36, plus a service fee of $0.76 if you pay with a card.