Name Change in CA

[framboise]

I may be a complete dummy, but I can't figure out how to get started changing my name! DH & I got married 2 weeks ago and now that I don't have a wedding to plan, I thought I'd try to figure out how to officially become Mrs. M.

I looked around online but I've been going in circles & can't figure out where to start! I figured that Social Security or the DMV would be logical starting points, but everything I came across on those 2 websites said "once you have changed your name, do X, Y and Z to update us" so those don't seem to be the starting point. I found one thing that said "just start using your new name & then it's changed!" but that seems waaaaayyyy too simplistic and wouldn't actually change it with the DMV, voter's registration & all that "business". Something else said "once you sign your new name on the marriage license, it's changed!". That doesn't make any sense either because we only signed the license once and that was when we picked it up at the courthouse weeks before the wedding. Why would I sign it there with anything other than my maiden name? And if I was supposed to sign my changed name, shouldn't the person who handed us the document & asked us to sign tell me that? :rolleyes:

Does anyone who has been through this have any hints? Should I just wait until we get a certified copy of our certificate back? The only thing I have been able to determine for sure is that the rules are not universal across all states so hopefully someone else here in CA can point me in the right direction! If couples get married every day & both brides & grooms change their name all the time, why is the process top secret like this (this one is a rhetorical question)? :rolleyes:

Thanks for your help!

[MtySheera]

It has been over 4 years since I changed mine, so my memory is a little foggy. But no, you don't just start using your new name and that means it is changed. I found this on one website:

The Marriage Exception
The only exception to using the court method is if you are changing your name after getting married or registering as domestic partners. In this situation, you can just take your marriage license or verification of your domestic partnership registration to the DMV and fill out a simple form. You can do the same with the Social Security Administration. But in all other situations, you'll want to use the court method.

You should be able to find the forms for the DMV and SS office that you need to complete to make the change, but as you mentioned, you need your marriage certificate to make the change.

[monique]

You do need your marriage license and it usually takes a few weeks to get. Then you take that to the social security office and then to DMV.