File a petition to change your name to match your gender identity

Once you complete your forms, you need to file them with the court and pay a filing fee. If you can’t afford the fee, you can ask the court to waive it.

PRINT EMAIL

How to file forms with the court

Take your forms to the court clerk

Find the superior court in the county where you live. If there are different locations, find the closest court to you where civil cases are filed. If you live out of state, you file in the county that issued the birth certificate you are changing or where the marriage was entered, if you're changing a marriage certificate. Get more information about where to file if you live out of state. At the courthouse, file the forms you filled out by giving the original and the copies to the clerk. The clerk will stamp the forms, keep the original, and return the copies to you.

Can I file my forms by mail or online?

Yes, you can file by mail. Mail the original and copies to the clerk. You need to include the filing fee (or request for a fee waiver) and a self-addressed stamped envelope so the clerk can mail your copies back to you. Make sure to include enough postage. If you do not include a self-addressed stamped envelope, you will have to go to the courthouse to pick up your copies. Some courts allow online filing (called e-filing). You can find out if your court has online filing on your court’s website.

Pay a filing fee

You receive public benefits
Your income is less than a set amount
You can’t afford the fee and meet your basic needs

Ask the clerk how to get your signed order

The clerk will give the filed forms to a judge who will make a decision after a 6 week waiting period. Ask the clerk how you can pick up a signed name change order.

If you're in jail, prison, or on parole there are more steps after you file the forms. Learn more

If you are in state prison, have the warden notified. Ask the warden's office how.
If you are in county jail, have the county sheriff’s department notified. Ask the sheriff’s office how.
If you are on parole, notify the regional parole administrator of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Ask the administrator’s office how.

Get step-by-step instructions on how to notify the jail, prison, or CDCR.

Change your name to match your gender identity

What's next?

Once you’ve filed your forms, your next step is to pick up your signed name change order.