Legally changing your name in California. Everything you need to know.

Part 1. Usage method vs. Court method

Today we start a three part series on legally changing your name in California.
Several thousand people change their name in California every year. Whether they do it to correct a spelling mistake in their birth certificate, or to use a more “American” name, rather than their original foreign name that might be a hassle to spell, we can assist with legally changing your name in California.
The old “usage” method or simply starting to use a new name and asking DMV and Social Security to charge their records is no longer feasible in today’s world of heightened security and identity thefts, and most agencies will require that you have a court order changing your name before they will change your records.
The only exception to using the court method is if you are changing your name after getting married or after registering as a domestic partner. In this situation, you can just take your marriage license or verification of your domestic partnership registration to the DMV and fill out a simple form. Same drill with the Social Security Administration. In the next few days we’ll go over how to legally changing your name in California through the courts. Stay tuned.
The Document People is a network of legal document assistants and paralegals in Los Angeles with a common purpose: helping customers with name changes for adults and name changes for minors. We are looking forward to offering assistance with your name change in our offices in Woodland Hills, Santa Monica, Glendale, San Fernando, Torrance, Anaheim and Oceanside. Santa Monica We The People, Woodland Hills We The People.
 
The information contained in this blog – including information of a legal nature – is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter.

Legally changing your name in California