Legal Name Change in California
Filed for You, $500

TruPoint charges $500 to prepare and file your full name-change case anywhere in California, for adults and minors. We also collect $450 at intake for the court filing fee and e-filing charges. Newspaper publication is paid by you directly to the approved journal you choose, and each journal sets its own price. A California attorney typically charges $650 to $1,500 for the same work.

For most uncontested name changes, no. California courts decide the great majority of adult cases on a no-appearance basis, so a judge signs your decree without you ever standing in court. If someone objects — which can happen in a child’s case — the court may set a hearing you attend. We prepare your case so it’s complete and ready for a smooth no-appearance decision.

Yes. A parent or guardian can ask the court to change a minor child’s name. Both parents are usually given notice, and if one does not consent or objects, the court may set a hearing. We prepare name-change cases for minors as well as adults at the same $500, and note each parent’s consent at intake.

Most California name changes take about two to three months from filing to a signed decree. The timeline depends on the court’s calendar and the four-week newspaper publication period. We prepare and file your case the same week you complete intake, so the only wait is the court and the publication step.

In most cases, yes. California asks for a notice of the name change to run in an approved newspaper once a week for four weeks before the hearing. We give you a list of approved journals for your county; you contact the journal, arrange the notice, and pay the journal directly at its own rate. Certain situations — such as a change to match your gender identity, or where publication would create a safety risk — can qualify to skip this step.

Yes. You can restore a former or maiden name, and you can do it even if your divorce was finalized years ago and the name was not restored at the time. You’re also free to choose an entirely different new name through a name-change case. We prepare either path for $500.

Yes. A Registered Legal Document Assistant prepares and files your complete name-change case at your direction, without the cost of an attorney. TruPoint is run by Quinnie Do, LDA #268, a registered and bonded Legal Document Assistant in Santa Clara County whose registration is verifiable with the county. You direct the new name you want; we prepare every document the court requires.

Yes. California provides a clear path to change your legal name to align with your gender identity, and these cases can often be handled without publishing a newspaper notice. We prepare the full case at your direction for $500, in English, Vietnamese, Cantonese, or Spanish.

You can change your first, middle, or last name, restore a former name, take a spouse’s or partner’s name, or choose an entirely new name — as long as the change isn’t for a fraudulent or unlawful purpose. You tell us the exact name you want, and we prepare the case from there.

Once the judge signs your decree, you use a certified copy as your proof of the new name. Take it to update Social Security, the DMV and your driver’s license, your passport, your bank, your employer, and any other agency. A new legal name is also a good time to refresh your fingerprint records through Live Scan.

Yes, from any California county. You complete the intake online, pay through one secure link, and e-sign your documents from your phone. We file your case with your county court, e-filing wherever the court accepts it and filing by mail in the few small courts that still take paper only. You arrange the newspaper notice with a journal from the list we provide, and most uncontested cases are decided without a court appearance. Service is available in English, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Spanish.

The core set is the NC-100 petition, the NC-110 attachment for each person changing their name, the NC-120 order to show cause that the judge signs, the NC-130 decree, and the CM-010 civil case cover sheet. Gender-identity petitions use the NC-125 order instead, a minor’s decree by guardian uses NC-130G, and participants in California’s Safe at Home address confidentiality program can file under NC-400 to keep their current and proposed names off the public record. Every one is a free Judicial Council form — you are paying us to prepare them correctly, not for the forms.

Yes, and this is a common reason people call after trying it alone. Rejections come from a short list: the current name does not match the birth certificate or ID exactly, a separate NC-110 was not attached for each person, the proposed name was written inconsistently across forms, the civil case cover sheet was missing, residency was not shown for the county where you filed, or the proof of publication was not filed before the hearing. Send us what the clerk handed back along with your forms and we will prepare a corrected set.

You can. The forms are free at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov, and court self-help centers will help you complete them at no charge — we would rather say that than pretend otherwise. Where a name change trips people up is not the petition itself but the sequence around it: publishing the order to show cause once a week for four consecutive weeks in a paper that is legally qualified in your county, and getting the proof of publication filed before the hearing. Miss that and the hearing is continued or the petition denied. People use us when they would rather not manage that sequence themselves.

Both parents normally have to be given notice of a minor’s name change, and the other parent can file a written objection and appear at the hearing. If they object, the judge decides based on the child’s best interest — that is a contested matter, and it is the point at which you want an attorney rather than a document preparer. If you genuinely cannot locate the other parent, the court can in some circumstances dispense with notice, but you have to show what efforts you made. We prepare the petition and the proof of service at your direction; we cannot advise you on whether the court will grant it.

Your current legal name exactly as it appears on your birth certificate or government ID, the exact new name you want, your date and place of birth, your address and the county you live in, and photo identification. For a minor, we also need the birth certificate and both parents’ details. If you are changing your name after a divorce or to conform to your gender identity, tell us at the start, because that changes which forms and which publication rules apply. Intake takes about ten minutes and nothing is charged until we confirm the fee.