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Name Change Paperwork in Shasta County
A petition for change of name is among the simpler things a person can file on their own. It is also one where a small error is unusually annoying, because the decree becomes the document you show to every agency for the rest of your life.
This is a general description of the process the courts publish, not advice about your circumstances.
The petition
The process starts with a petition for change of name, filed at the Shasta County Superior Court in Redding. It asks for your current legal name, the name you want, and your reason for the change.
One petition can cover more than one person in a household — a parent and children changing at the same time, for example — with an attachment for each person.
Getting the spelling right
This sounds trivial and it is the single most consequential detail on the form. The decree records exactly what the petition said, including capitalisation, hyphens, accents and middle names.
Write out the name you want exactly as you want it to appear on a passport, and check it twice before signing. Fixing it afterwards generally means filing again.
Publication and notice
Some name change petitions require publication in an approved newspaper for a set period before the hearing, and some are exempt. Which applies depends on the circumstances, and that is a legal question the court's published rules address.
Where a minor's name is being changed, the other parent generally must be given notice. Locating a parent who cannot be found is the most common source of delay in a minor's petition.
The decree and the certified copies
Once granted, the court signs a decree changing name. This is the document everything else runs on.
Order several certified copies at the same time. Most agencies keep the copy you give them and will not return it.
- Social Security Administration
- California DMV
- Passport application or amendment
- Your bank and any lender
- Your employer and payroll
- Schools, insurers, and professional licensing bodies
What the decree does not do
The decree does not update any of your records automatically. It is the authorisation that lets you update them, one agency at a time, yourself.
Start with Social Security, because several other agencies check against it.
Whether a name change will be granted, and whether any exemption applies to your situation, are legal questions. Preparing the petition, the order to show cause and the decree accurately — and making sure you leave with enough certified copies — is document work.
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