Who Is Eligible To Get A Copy Of A Birth Certificate
- The person named on the birth certificate.
- A parent of the person named on the birth certificate. The requesting parent’s name must be on the birth certificate.
- A spouse, child or others, but only by order of a New York State court.
What identification needs to be submitted by the applicant?
Application must be submitted with copies of either A or B:
Please submit a copy of your U.S. passport in addition to the above ID if you are applying from a foreign country that requires a passport for travel.
How Can I Change My First Or Last Name In California
Hossein Berenji, Apr 19, 2018
While we are all given a name at birth, that name does not always stay with us for life. Whether youre getting married, ending a marriage, or trying to protect your family from harm, there are always legitimate reasons to change your name. How can you legally change your name if you live in Los Angeles? The answer will depend on why you want to make the change. Los Angeles divorce lawyer Hossein Berenji explains how to go about this process. Call today if you need more information.
Changing Your Last Name Because Of Divorce
Sometimes marriages dont last. If you took your spouses last name, you may want to make a change after getting divorced. The process for getting your old surname back is a little bit more involved.
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Changing Childs Last Name After Divorce
A parent can retake a maiden name in a divorce, but a childs name doesnt change automatically. You can petition to change your childs last name after divorce, so that you can share a family name going forward. Whether you shared last names with your spouse or not, as a single parent youre going to want last name connection with your child for school, medical, travel and all the other growing up situations that come with real life. Like most things for single parents, changing a childs name with a non-consenting parent isnt easy, but its doable and can be very important.
Legal Requirements For A Name Change
The residency requirements for name changes vary from one state to another. Some states require you to have established yourself as a bona fide resident by living there for a certain amount of time.
You can check all the requirements for your place of residence, as well as file the necessary paperwork to change your name by contacting the local county court. Some states require that you file your name change in court, while others do not.
Keep in mind, some names are banned in the US. Check the naming laws for your state before starting
Even in California, where you can technically choose a new name and start using it consistently under the states usage method, you might still need a court order to serve as proof of your name change when dealing with banks, the SSA, or the DMV.
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Reclaim A Traditional Indigenous Name
If you are a Survivor of a residential school, you, and your family can reclaim your Indigenous name.
You can also change to a single name, if it is part of your traditional culture or your childs traditional culture.
You will not be charged a fee for a name change from now until March 31, 2024.
If you or your child are changing a name and are a First Nations, Inuit, or Métis individual you may request non-publication of the name change in The Ontario Gazette. Find out more information about the publication of name change.
Publish The Order To Show Cause For Change Of Name
In most cases you must publish the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for 4 weeks in a row. Your court most likely has a list of newspapers that are approved for publishing legal notices.
Order to Show Cause for Change of NameOrder to Show Cause for Change of Name
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Obtain Photocopy Of Court Order/attend Possible Hearing
After reviewing your petition, the Clerk will submit it to a Judge. If a hearing is called, you will need to attend it on the scheduled date with your name change documents in hand. The Judge is allowed to inform government agencies of your name change, such as Immigration Services or Criminal Justice Services, or to contact any previous spouses. If the Judge approves your name change, they will sign your Order Granting Leave to Change Name and the Clerks Office will send you a copy of the signed document. Depending on your court, you will either receive a certified copy of your court order at this point or you will be given a photocopy which must be published.
Who Should I Notify Once I Change My Name
If youre changing your name youll want to make sure that you notify anyone who needs to be kept up-to-date. Who you choose to notify may depend on why youre making the change. For example, a recently-married spouse will probably not have an issue disclosing the change to anyone. A person who changes a name for safety reasons, however, may want to be more careful about who is notified.
Parties that should be made aware of name changes include:
- Government agencies
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Change Babys Name On Birth Certificate In California
After a legal name change, you can get an amended birth certificate from the California Department of Public Health, if your child was born in California. Each state has their own rules for birth certificate name changes. In California, all birth certificates are issued and managed by the CDPH, who will prepare a new 2-page Amended Birth Certificate if you complete their Application and send a Certified Copy of your Decree Changing Name.
Who Needs To Be Notified After A Name Change
Your final step, after changing your name, will be to notify government agencies, businesses, family, and friends of your new name.
Here is a list of the institutions you will need to reach out to, in order to communicate your legal name change:
- Department of Records or Vital Statistics
- Social Security Administration
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- Banks and Other Financial Institutions
- Post office
- State Taxing Authority
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Overview Of The Required Steps For An Adult Applicant In The State Of New York
Here are the basic steps involved in changing your name:
Name Change In New York
In order to legally change names in New York you must have a court order approving the name change. There are many legal and more reasons for a person to change their name or name of a child. This website provides assistance with name changes.
There are three services available for changing a name in New York. First, a spouse may change their name during a New York divorce. Second, any person over the age of 18 may change their name. Third, a parent or guardian may change the name of a minor child.
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Change Name Of A Minor
Any parent, or guardian of a minor may file for a legal name change in the county where the minor resides. A minor is anyone under the age of 18.
The process is similar to an adult name change. If a child is ten or over, the child must sign a document indicating they agree with the name change. The other parent has to either consent to the name change or be served with notice of the name change. If you do not know where the other parent is located you will have to take some extra steps to get the minors name changed.
We provide assistance with child name changes. Please email us at and ask for more information about our child name change service.
Serve The Other Parent
Any living parent who still has parental rights to the child should be served with a copy of the Petition and the Notice of Petition. The way to serve the other parent depends on the following:
- If you know or can find out where the other parent is located: The parent must be personally served with the Petition and the Notice of Petition. The parent filing for the name change cannot serve the other parent. Someone over the age of 18 who is not a party to the case must hand-deliver the documents to the parent. You can ask someone you know to serve the documents, or you can hire the sheriff or a private process service. Visit the Sheriffs Civil Process Section for more information on their fees and services.Whoever serves the other parent must fill out a Proof of Service form that says when, where, and how the other parent was served. Make sure this form is completed and filed at the family court.
Proof of Service Proof of Service
The other parent can file an “objection” if they disagree with the name change. If they do, a hearing will be set for both parents to talk to the judge.
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Naming Restrictions In The Us
One example of a practical naming restriction is related to the software used to keep official birth records:
- Several states limit the number of characters that can be used: In Massachusetts, for example, a babys first, last, and middle name can have a maximum of 40 characters in total.
- Others, ban the use of numerical digits or pictograms, such as emojis, for example
Certain states have other kinds of naming restrictions in place mainly to protect children such as banning the use of obscenity in names.
Other naming prohibitions include forbidding names such as those of people who have committed atrocities, such as Adolf Hitler.
Common naming restrictions include:
Read The Information Guide
PDF form issues
Fillable PDF forms do not open properly on some mobile devices and web browsers. To fill in and save the form:
- criminal record check or police information check
This may also include:
- proof of relationship if youre changing the name of a child/ward
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Fill Out Your Court Forms
You have two options to fill out your forms:
Some courts also require you to fill out local forms to ask for a name change. Ask your local court clerk if there are local forms you have to fill out. You may be able to find local court forms on your superior court’s website.
Who May File A Petition For An Order Of Custody
A parent, grandparent or a person with a substantial connection or relationship with the child may file a petition in Family Court requesting that the court place the child in his or her custody. A copy of the petition and a summons must be served upon the person or parties who presently have custody of the child. If the child’s parents are separated and one parent seeks a custody order, that parent must have the papers served upon the other parent. If a non-parent is seeking custody of the child, then both of the child’s parents must be served.
There are no filing fees in Family Court.
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Schedule A Hearing And Publish Notice
The clerk schedules a hearing for you before the judge or magistrate. Depending on your state’s procedure and how busy the court is, you may have to wait a few days to a few weeks for your hearing. Some states, such as Massachusetts, require you to publish a notice of your intended name change in a newspaper before your hearing and to file proof of publication with the clerk’s office. This is to give your creditors notice and the opportunity to object. If you are a convicted felon or registered sex offender, you may also have to give notice to the state department of corrections, parole board, prosecutor’s office, or the sex offender registry board, any of whom can object.
Does A Child’s Preference Factor Into Name Changes
State rules differ on when courts should consider a child’s desire to change their name. Although a child’s preference isn’t controlling, usually a judge can consider an older child’s wishes regarding a name change. For example, if a teenager no longer wants the last name he grew up with, a judge is likely to grant a name change. However, a judge will probably give a younger child’s wishes less weight than other factors.
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Can A Mother Change A Childs Last Name
Yes. When a mother is raising a child by herself, its important that the childs last name makes all the growing up situations work with school, friends, travel, etc. Either parent can petition to change a childs last name. Its more complicated for a judge to decide such cases, but so long as all the rules are followed, no objections are made and the judge thinks it would be in the best interests of the child, the name change can definitely be granted in California . If one parent objects, to the judge, the judge may resolve the objection, deny the Petition, or refer the parents to family court for resolution. However, in most situations where a mother is raising the child alone, she will be successful in changing a childs last name if everything is done right. Same goes for a father raising a child without the mother.
Obtain Certified Copy Of Court Order
In order to complete the name change process, you will need to pick up at least certified copies of the signed Order Granting Leave to Change Childs Name from the Clerk of Courts office. Once the court has approved your childs name change, it will be up to you to change their name as recorded on any official documents and registrations. By presenting a certified copy of the court order, you will be able to change your childs identity, so that they can use their own name.
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Changing Middle Name Of Child
You can change only your childs middle name if you want, without changing the first or last names. Changing a childs middle name is often done to honor someone in the family. However, sometimes a middle name becomes the childs first name in real life, and that kind of change can be legally made through the Name Change Petition process too. An older child might want a different middle name to match the childs self identity. Theres an unlimited number of reasons why a childs middle name can be changed legally.
How To Change Legally Change The Name Of A Child Under 18
In person
You can file your request to change the name of your child at your local Probate and Family Court.
You may submit your required forms for a name change to the Probate and Family Court in the county where you live.
Online
You can eFile a Change of Name online at eFileMA. For more information on how to eFile, please see eFiling in the Probate and Family Court.
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