California Name Change Forms: Every Form and Where to File It

A name change in California runs through federal forms and California agencies at the same time. Here is the whole set, and where each one actually comes from.

• Certified marriage certificate or divorce decree. Not a form you fill in, but the document everything else depends on. Order certified copies from the California Department of Public Health, Vital Records (CDPH-VR). Get two or three, since several agencies each want to see one.
• Form SS-5 (Social Security card). One national form, identical in every state, and always free. Download it straight from the SSA (PDF), or see it filled out field by field.
• Your California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) license application. This is the California-specific piece. The agency supplies the form, and most locations hand it to you at the counter or post it on their site rather than publishing a standalone name-change form. Start from the official California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) page.
• A passport form, if you hold a passport: DS-5504 (free, passport under a year old), DS-82 (renew by mail), or DS-11 (in person). Which one is yours is a short test: compare all three.
• Voter registration update. Free, and often handled for you at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Details on the California voter registration page.

Watch for sites charging a fee to "provide" the SS-5 or the passport forms. Every one of them is a free download from the government, linked above.

Filling in the form is half of it. California also wants supporting documents at the counter:

• Certified copy of marriage certificate showing new name
• Updated Social Security card/record (change with SSA before visiting DMV)
• Current California driver's license or ID card
• Proof of true full name (marriage certificate suffices for non-REAL ID)
• For REAL ID upgrade: proof of identity + SSN + two proofs of CA residency (e.g., utility bill, bank statement)

REAL ID note: For a REAL ID-compliant card you must also provide proof of identity, your Social Security Number, and two proofs of California residency; for a standard (non-REAL ID) card you need only provide proof of your true full name.

Many California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) locations let you skip the line by booking ahead: book a California appointment.

Two of these go in the mail, and they do not go to the same place.

Form SS-5. Take or mail it to a local Social Security office. There is no central address for the SS-5, so use the SSA office locator to find the one that serves you.

Passport forms. This is where California matters, because routine DS-82 service is split by state. California is one of six states routed to the Texas processing center.

DS-82, routine service from California
National Passport Processing Center
PO Box 640155
Irving, TX 75064-0155

Routine service (no fee)
National Passport Processing Center
Post Office Box 90107
Philadelphia, PA 19190-0107

Expedited service uses different addresses again and costs extra, and the instructions ask you to write "Expedite" on the outside of the envelope. Use a trackable mailing service: that envelope holds your passport and your certified certificate.

• Certified marriage certificate (3 copies): $30–$90
• Social Security card (Form SS-5): Free
• Driver's license update (California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)): $37 license / $40 ID (change of info)
• Passport (only if you update it): Free–$165
• Voter registration: Free

Most people spend roughly $67–$295 in California: on the low end if you skip the passport, on the high end with a full passport renewal and extra certificate copies.

The forms themselves cost nothing. What you pay for is certified copies, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) fee, and a passport renewal if you need one. Passport pricing changes independently of anything California does, so check the current State Department fee schedule on the day you file.