Section 298.6 Of Part 2. Registration From California Family Law Code >> Division 2.5. >> Part 2.
298.6
. (a) Parties to a registered domestic partnership shall not
be required to have the same name. Neither party shall be required to
change his or her name. A person's name shall not change upon
registration as a domestic partner unless that person elects to
change his or her name pursuant to subdivision (b).
(b) (1) One party or both parties to a registered domestic
partnership may elect to change the middle or last names by which
that party wishes to be known after registration of the domestic
partnership by entering the new name in the space provided on the
Declaration of Domestic Partnership form without intent to defraud.
(2) A person may adopt any of the following middle or last names
pursuant to paragraph (1):
(A) The current last name of the other domestic partner.
(B) The last name of either domestic partner given at birth.
(C) A name combining into a single last name all or a segment of
the current last name or the last name of either domestic partner
given at birth.
(D) A hyphenated combination of last names.
(3) (A) An election by a person to change his or her name pursuant
to paragraph (1) shall serve as a record of the name change. A
certified copy of the Certificate of Registered Domestic Partnership
containing the new name, or retaining the former name, shall
constitute proof that the use of the new name or retention of the
former name is lawful.
(B) A certified copy of a Certificate of Registered Domestic
Partnership shall be accepted as identification establishing a true,
full name for purposes of Section 12800.7 of the Vehicle Code.
(C) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the
Department of Motor Vehicles from accepting as identification other
documents establishing a true, full name for purposes of Section
12800.7 of the Vehicle Code. Those documents may include, without
limitation, a certified copy of a document that is substantially
equivalent to a Certificate of Registered Domestic Partnership that
records either of the following:
(i) A legal union of two persons that was validly formed in
another jurisdiction and is recognized as a valid domestic
partnership in this state pursuant to Section 299.2.
(ii) A legal union of domestic partners as defined by a local
jurisdiction pursuant to Section 299.6.
(D) This section shall be applied in a manner consistent with the
requirements of Sections 1653.5 and 12801 of the Vehicle Code.
(4) The adoption of a new name, or the choice not to adopt a new
name, by means of a Declaration of Domestic Partnership pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall not abrogate the right of either party to adopt a
different name through usage at a future date, or to petition the
superior court for a change of name pursuant to Title 8 (commencing
with Section 1275) of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to abrogate the
common law right of any person to change his or her name, or the
right of any person to petition the superior court for a change of
name pursuant to Title 8 (commencing with Section 1275) of Part 3 of
the Code of Civil Procedure.