NC-100-INFO
If you are a participant in the Secretary of State's address confidentiality program (Safe at Home), your current and proposed names
may be kept confidential. (Code Civ. Proc., § 1277(b).) See Information Sheet for Name Change Proceedings Under Address
Confidentiality Program (Safe at Home) (form NC-400-INFO) for additional instructions.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING A PETITION
FOR CHANGE OF NAME
1.
2.
4.
a.
Petition for Change of Name (form NC-100)
Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (form NC-120) or, if applicable, Order to Show Cause for Change of Name to
Conform to Gender Identity (form NC-125)
d.
Decree Changing Name (form NC-130 or, for guardians, form NC-130G)
5.
6.
7.
In most cases, a copy of the Order to Show Cause must be published in a local newspaper of general circulation once a week for at
least four consecutive weeks before the date of the hearing. You must select the newspaper from among those newspapers
legally qualified to publish orders and notices. The newspaper used must file a Proof of Publication with the superior court before
the hearing. If no newspaper of general circulation is published in the county, the court may order the Order to Show Cause to be
posted by the clerk. But you do not have to publish the order if you are seeking to change a name to conform to your gender
identity or are a participant in (1) the State Witness Program, or (2) the address confidentiality program, and the petition alleges that
you are petitioning (a) to avoid domestic violence, (b) to avoid stalking, (c) to avoid sexual assault, or (d) to avoid human trafficking.
Form Approved for Optional Use
Judicial Council of California
NC-100-INFO [Rev. January 1, 2019]
The petition for change of name must be filed in the superior court of the county where the person whose name is to be changed is
a resident.
The petition may be used to change your own name and, under certain circumstances, the names of others (e.g., children under 18
years of age).
Prepare an original and two copies of each of the following documents:
In addition, a guardian must prepare and attach a Declaration of Guardian (Supplemental Attachment to Petition) (form NC-110G)
for each child whose name is to be changed.
Prepare an original Civil Case Cover Sheet (form CM-010). File the original petition and Civil Case Cover Sheet with the clerk of
the court and obtain two filed-endorsed copies of the petition. A filing fee will be charged unless you qualify for a fee waiver. (If you
want to apply for a fee waiver, see Request to Waive Court Fees (form FW-001) and Information Sheet on Waiver of Court Fees
and Costs (form FW-001-INFO). There is no filing fee for minors in the State's address confidentiality program (Safe at Home).
b.
Name and Information About the Person Whose Name Is to Be Changed (Attachment to Petition for Change of Name) (form
NC-110) (attach as many copies as necessary)
You should request a date for the hearing on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (form NC-120) at least six weeks in the
future. Take the completed form to the clerk's office. The clerk will provide the hearing date and location, obtain the judicial officer's
signature, file the original, and give you a copy.
If you are changing your name to conform to gender identity, you need not request a hearing date. Instead, complete the Order to
Show Cause for Change of Name to Conform to Gender Identity (form NC-125) and take the completed form to the clerk's office.
The clerk will obtain the judicial officer's signature, file the original, and give you a copy.
3.
Page 1 of 2
c.
Where to File
Whose Name May Be Changed
Confidentiality of Certain Names
What Forms Are Required
Filing and Filing Fee
Requesting a Court Hearing Date and Obtaining the Order to Show Cause
Publishing the Order to Show Cause
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING A PETITION
FOR CHANGE OF NAME
www.courts.ca.gov
e.
Civil Case Cover Sheet (form CM-010)
9.
If you are a person in county jail, or under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (in state prison, or on
parole) you may file a petition to change your name, but must serve the petition on a government agency.
8. Name Change for Children
If the nonconsenting parent resides in California, the order or notice must be personally served on the nonconsenting parent.
You cannot personally serve this document.
If the nonconsenting parent resides outside California, that parent may be served by sending a copy of the order or notice by
first-class mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested.
If you have served a parent or grandparent, file a copy of the completed Proof of Service of Order to Show Cause (form NC-121)
with the court before the hearing.
If you were born in California and want to amend a birth certificate to show the name change, you should contact the following
office:
Local courts may supplement these instructions. Check with the court to determine whether supplemental information is available.
For instance, the court may provide you with additional written information identifying the department that handles name change
petitions, the times when petitions are heard, and the newspapers that may be used to publish the Order to Show Cause.
a.
If you are a petitioning parent requesting the name change for a child under 18 years of age, and one of the parents, if living,
does not join in consenting to the name change, the petitioning parent must have a copy of the Order to Show Cause or notice
of the time and place of the hearing served on the nonconsenting parent. Service must be made at least 30 days prior to the
hearing, under Code of Civil Procedure sections 413.10, 414.10, 415.10, or 415.40.
c.
d.
If you are the guardian of a minor and filing a petition to change the name of that minor, you must (1) provide notice of the
hearing to any living parent of the child by personal service at least 30 days before the hearing (or as in b above), or (2) if either
or both parents are deceased or cannot be located, serve notice of the hearing on the child's grandparents, if living, not less
than 30 days before the hearing, under Code of Civil Procedure sections 413.10, 414.10, 415.10, or 415.40. (If the minor's name
is being changed to conform to gender identity, these notices and orders for grandparents need not be completed or served.)
e.
10.
11.
If no written objection is filed at least two court days before the scheduled hearing, the court may grant the petition and sign the
decree without a hearing. Check with the court to find out if a hearing will be held. If there is a hearing, bring copies of all
documents to the hearing. If the judge grants the petition, the judge will sign the original decree.
If you filed a petition for name change to conform to gender identity, and timely objections were filed, the court may set a hearing
date after receiving the objections. If it does, you will be sent a notice of the hearing date. Check with the court after the deadline for
filing objections to see if a hearing date has been set. If there are no objections, the court will grant the petition and sign the decree
without a hearing.
California Department of Public Health
Vital Records - MS 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410
Court Hearing
Name Change for Person in Jail or Prison or on Parole
NC-100-INFO
Note that the declaration on form NC-110 as to whether the petitioner is in jail or under jurisdiction of the California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation is only for purposes of determining if service of the petition is required.
Phone: 916-445-2684
website: www.cdph.ca.gov
If in state prison, you must provide a copy of the petition to the warden. Check with the warden's office as to how that should be
done.
If in county jail, you must provide a copy of the petition to the county sheriff's department. Check with the department as to how
that should be done.
After you have provided a copy to the sheriff, warden, or regional parole administrator, file a copy of the completed Proof of
Service By Mail (form POS-030) with the court.
If on parole, you must provide a copy of the petition to the regional parole administrator. Check with the administrator's office
as to how that should be done.
l
l
l
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING A PETITION
FOR CHANGE OF NAME
NC-100-INFO [Rev. January 1, 2019] Page 2 of 2
b.
If you are a petitioning parent or any other adult requesting the name change for a child to conform to that child's gender
identity and a living parent does not join in the petition for the name change, you must have a copy of the petition and the Order
to Show Cause served on the nonconsenting parent. Service must be made within 30 days of the date the order is made by
the court, under Code of Civil Procedure sections 413.10, 414.10, 415.10, or 415.40.
Print this form
Save this form
Clear this form
For your protection and privacy, please press the Clear
This Form button after you have printed the form.