How to Fill Out and File Form NC-110: California Name Change Petition

Form NC-110 is the attachment to California’s name change petition that identifies the person whose name is changing, states the new name and reason, and declares any criminal-justice status. You file it together with Form NC-100 at the Superior Court in the county where you live, pay a filing fee of $435 to $450, publish notice in a local newspaper, and wait for a judge to decide. The whole process runs roughly two to three months.¹ If more than one family member is changing names in the same case, prepare a separate NC-110 for each person.

What Form NC-110 Does

NC-110 carries the identifying facts the court needs about the person whose name is changing. NC-100 is the petition itself; NC-110 attaches to it and supplies the details. You sign it under penalty of perjury, and the court verifies parts of it (particularly the criminal-status declaration) against law enforcement databases.²

Download the current version from the California Judicial Council’s website. Type it or print in black or blue ink.³

Filling Out Each Section

Section b: Personal Information

Six items about the person whose name will change:³

Present name, exactly as it appears on the birth certificate or other legal documents.
Proposed name, written out in full.
Date of birth.
Place of birth: city, state, and country.
Sex as stated on the original birth certificate (check male or female).
Current residence address, including city, county, state, and zip. California law requires filing in the county where you live, so this address also establishes venue.²

You also check a box showing whether the person is under 18 or 18 and older. That choice controls which later sections apply.

Section c: Reason for the Name Change

State the reason in plain language. Common reasons include marriage, divorce, personal preference, religious conversion, or aligning your legal name with one you’ve used socially for years. Be specific and honest. Vague answers like “personal reasons” can prompt questions from the judge, and the statute requires the petition to state the reason.²

Section d: Relationship to the Person

If you’re changing your own name, check “Self.” Filing for someone else, pick the box that fits: Parent; Guardian; Guardian ad litem or attorney for a minor appointed by juvenile court; Near relative (with the relationship specified); or Other.³

Section e: Information About Minors

Skip this section for an adult name change. For a child under 18, list the names and addresses of both parents. If neither parent is living, provide the names, relationships, and addresses of near relatives. This lets the court notify anyone with a legal interest in the child’s name.³

Section f: Criminal Status Declaration (Adults Only)

Every adult petitioner checks boxes indicating whether they are under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (in prison, on parole, or in county jail) and whether they are required to register as a sex offender under Penal Code section 290. This is a declaration under penalty of perjury, and the court verifies it through law enforcement databases.² Checking “yes” doesn’t automatically disqualify you, but it triggers additional requirements described below.

Signatures

If the person changing names is 18 or older, that person signs. The petitioner also signs a declaration under penalty of perjury that everything on the form is true and correct. If an attorney is involved, the attorney signs as well.

The Rest of the Filing Packet

NC-110 does not stand alone. Prepare an original and two copies of each of the following:⁴

Form NC-100 (Petition for Change of Name), the main petition that opens the case.
Form NC-110, one for each person whose name is changing.
Form NC-120 (Order to Show Cause), which the clerk uses to schedule your hearing and which you later publish in a newspaper. Request a hearing date at least six weeks out to leave time for publication.
Form CM-010 (Civil Case Cover Sheet), an administrative form for the court’s filing system. Only the original is needed.

All forms are free PDFs from the Judicial Council’s website. If you are also requesting a change of gender, use Form NC-200 instead, which follows a slightly different process.

Filing With the Superior Court

Bring the complete packet to the civil clerk’s office at the Superior Court in your county of residence. The filing fee runs $435 to $450 depending on the court.⁵ If you cannot afford it, submit a Request to Waive Court Fees (Form FW-001) with your petition.¹

The clerk file-stamps the originals, assigns a case number, and returns copies to you. The clerk also obtains a judicial officer’s signature on the Order to Show Cause and writes in the hearing date, time, and courtroom. You leave with the stamped copies you need for publication.

Publishing the Order to Show Cause

California law requires you to publish the Order to Show Cause once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in your county.² The publication gives the public notice of your request. Any newspaper in your county that prints legal notices will do; many clerks keep a list at the counter. Publication typically costs between $90 and $200.

After the four-week run, the newspaper provides a Proof of Publication affidavit. File it with the court before your hearing date. Without it, the judge cannot approve your petition.

When Publication Is Not Required

You do not have to publish if the name change is to match your gender identity.¹ The same exemption applies to participants in the Secretary of State’s address confidentiality program, minors under juvenile court jurisdiction, and witnesses in the state Witness Relocation and Assistance Program.²

The Hearing and Your Decree

The hearing is typically scheduled about six weeks after you file.⁴ If nobody files an objection at least two court days before the hearing, the judge can grant the change without a hearing at all, and you may simply receive the signed decree.² Local practice varies, so ask your court whether you should still appear. Some want you there regardless.

If someone objects, the judge hears both sides and decides whether the objector has shown good reason to deny the change. Objections are uncommon in adult cases but come up more often in cases involving children. Bring your Proof of Publication (if not already filed), a photo ID, and copies of your filed documents.

When the judge approves the petition, the court issues a Decree Changing Name (Form NC-130). That is the court order you use to update every other record in your name.⁶ Order certified copies before you leave. Each one costs $40 at the clerk’s window, and fee-waiver recipients pay nothing.⁷

Name Changes for Children

When both parents agree, either parent can file the petition and sign NC-110 on the child’s behalf. Section e requires the names and addresses of both parents so the court can confirm everyone with parental rights has been notified.

When one parent files alone, that parent must formally serve the other parent with a copy of the petition. The other parent has the right to object, and the judge hears both sides before deciding.⁸ In contested cases, judges weigh the child’s best interest, typically considering the child’s relationship with each parent, how long the child has used the current name, and whether the change would cause confusion.

If a guardian rather than a parent files, the court must first find that the child is likely to remain in the guardian’s care until adulthood and is unlikely to be returned to the parents before it will consider the name change at all.²

Extra Requirements for Petitioners With Criminal Records

A criminal record does not automatically bar a name change, but California law imposes additional requirements for certain petitioners. Section f of NC-110 is where you disclose your status, and the court cross-checks your answers through law enforcement databases.²

Currently imprisoned: you cannot file a name change petition while in state prison unless the Director of Corrections grants permission.
On parole or probation: your parole agent or probation officer must provide written approval before the court will consider the petition. The officer decides whether the change would pose a security risk.
Registered sex offender: the court must deny the petition unless it finds the change serves the interest of justice and will not harm public safety. If the court does grant the change, you have five business days to notify the chief of police in your city, or the sheriff if you live in an unincorporated area.

Lying about your status on the NC-110 declaration is perjury. Because the court cross-checks every petition through the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, misrepresentations surface quickly and can lead to criminal charges on top of a denied petition.

1
California Courts. Change Your Name in California
2
Justia. California Code of Civil Procedure 1275-1279.6 – Change of Names
3
Judicial Council of California. NC-110 Name and Information About the Person Whose Name Is to Be Changed
4
Judicial Council of California. Instructions for Filing a Petition for Change of Name
5
California Courts. File Your Name Change Petition
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California Courts. Get Your Decree Changing Your Name
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California Courts. Get Your Name Change Decree
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California Courts. Change Child’s Name – One Parent