Name on a California Car Title: Fix or Transfer?
Two names sit on your title, and one of them needs to change. Maybe you got married or divorced, your teenager is joining the car, or a clerk spelled a name wrong years ago. DMV handles these cases in two different ways, and picking the wrong one costs you a trip.
If you need to add or remove a name on a California car title, start by sorting out which kind of change you have. Fixing or updating your own name is a name statement. Adding or removing another person changes who owns the car, so DMV treats it as a transfer, with its own fee and paperwork. Find your situation below before you fill out anything.
- Your name is spelled wrong. That is a correction. It uses Section F of REG 256 and costs nothing.
- Your legal name changed. Marriage, divorce, and court orders land here. It uses the same section, with a few extra steps.
- Someone is joining or leaving the title. That is a transfer. You sign the title, pay a fee, and may need a REG 256 for a tax break.
- An owner died. DMV has a separate path, covered near the end.
Check the Word Between the Names First
Look at your title or registration card. Between the owner names you will see AND, OR, or a slash. That small mark decides who has to sign.
- OR. One owner can sign to transfer the car.
- AND or a slash. Every owner has to sign.
This matters most when a relationship ends. On an AND title, an ex who won’t sign can stop the whole transfer. On an OR title, one owner can move the car without the other. Check the word before you promise anyone a quick fix.
How to Fix a Misspelled Name on a California Title
Start here if the name is wrong but the person is the same. For corrections, you need Section F of the REG 256, which DMV calls the Statement of Facts. A hyphenated or long last name that DMV prints as one word is not an error, so you can skip the correction in that case.
- You have the title. Write the correct name above the wrong one. Complete Section F of the REG 256 and sign the bottom. Take both to a DMV office, or mail them to Vehicle Registration Operations.
- You lost the title. Add a REG 227 replacement title form and proof of ownership, such as your registration card. You also pay the duplicate title fee. DMV lets you mail a correction without the title.
- A lender holds the title. Give your signed REG 256 to the lender. The lender sends it to DMV with the title.
The correction itself is free. You pay only when you also need a duplicate title.
Changing Your Name on a Car Title After Marriage or Divorce
A legal name change uses the same Section F, but DMV asks for more when you don’t have the title. In that case, you bring the REG 256, a REG 227, proof of ownership, and the duplicate title fee to a DMV office. DMV does not take a name change without the title by mail.
Bring your driver license or ID card, plus a second photo ID such as a passport. If you go in person, you can get a new registration card right away. The title takes longer. DMV’s name change page says to expect about 4 to 6 weeks.
How to Add or Remove a Name on a California Car Title
Adding or removing another person is a transfer, even when nobody pays anyone. DMV lists adding or deleting an owner among the changes you must report within 10 days.
- Check the AND or OR word, and round up every signature you need.
- Sign the California title. Treat it like a sale: people leaving the title sign as sellers, and the people who will own the car sign as buyers. If a lender holds the title, the lender signs too.
- Write the odometer reading where the title asks for it.
- Pay the $15 transfer fee and any use tax.
- Take the title and payment to a DMV office, or mail them.
Signed the wrong line, or added a name by mistake? Don’t cross it out and hope for the best. DMV requires a REG 101 for any lined out or erased entry on a title.
Use Tax, Smog, and Fees When Owners Change
DMV charges a $15 transfer fee. It also charges use tax, based on the new owner’s city and county, unless an exemption applies. Family transfers, gifts, court orders, and inheritances can qualify, and you claim the exemption on a REG 256. DMV also lists adding or removing a person as a gift among those cases.
Smog follows a similar rule. Transfers between parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings, spouses, and domestic partners are exempt from the transfer smog check when you file a REG 256. Smog can still come up at your next renewal. Other transfers may need a smog certificate, depending on the age and type of the car.
Report the change within 10 days. DMV adds penalties when payment does not arrive within 30 days.
If a Lender Holds the Title
A lien adds a middle step. The lender signs the title to release its interest, and for a name correction, you hand the signed REG 256 to the lender so it can send everything to DMV together. Call the lender first and ask how long it takes. Lenders work at their own pace, and DMV’s 10 days keep running.
If the title is lost and the car is two model years old or newer, the lender has to request the replacement title. You cannot do that part yourself.
When an Ex or Joint Owner Won’t Sign
This is the stuck point to plan for. On an AND title, DMV needs every owner’s signature, and DMV has no way to make someone sign.
If a divorce judgment gives you the car, DMV lists court orders among the transfers that can qualify for a use tax exemption on a REG 256. Ask your family law attorney how to get a court order that covers the car, and ask DMV which pages it wants to see. This page can’t give legal advice.
When a Joint Owner Has Died
DMV has a separate form for this, the Affidavit for Transfer Without Probate, known as REG 5. DMV sets time and value limits for it and asks for an original death certificate, which it returns to you. Check the current limits on DMV’s site before you count on this route. If the estate is larger or the situation is unclear, talk to an attorney first.
Where to Send It and How Long It Takes
DMV takes these forms at a field office or by mail. DMV’s title page lists DMV, PO Box 942869, Sacramento, CA 94269 for title paperwork. Call 1 800 777 0133 to confirm the right address for your form before you send it.
DMV’s own pages give different timelines. The name change page says to expect the title in about 4 to 6 weeks. The ownership transfer page says a new title issues in 10 to 15 calendar days once DMV has everything. Plan on up to six weeks, and don’t set a sale date around the short number.
Mistakes That Send Paperwork Back
- Using a REG 101 to add or remove an owner, when it only corrects or explains what is already on the record
- Skipping an owner’s signature on an AND title
- Crossing out a title entry without a REG 101
- Forgetting the odometer reading
- Waiting past 10 days to report the change
- Mailing a name change when you have no title, since DMV wants that one in person
- Sending a REG 256 without signing the bottom
- Assuming a family transfer skips the REG 256, when the tax and smog exemptions depend on it
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove a name from a car title in California?
Yes. Treat it as a transfer. The owner leaving signs as a seller, the owner staying signs as a buyer, and a lender signs too if one holds the title. You pay the $15 transfer fee and any use tax. On an AND title, every owner has to sign.
How do I add my spouse or child to my car title?
The steps match removing a name. You sign the title over, pay the transfer fee, and report the change within 10 days. Family transfers can qualify for use tax and smog exemptions when you file a REG 256.
Is there a fee to fix a misspelled name on a California title?
No. A name correction is free. You pay only if you also need a duplicate title, which comes with a REG 227 and the replacement title fee.
Do I pay use tax when I add or remove a name?
Not if an exemption applies. DMV lists family transfers, gifts, court orders, and inheritances, and you claim the exemption on a REG 256. Without an exemption, use tax is based on the new owner’s city and county.
What does AND or OR mean between names on a California title?
With OR, one owner can sign to transfer or sell the car. With AND or a slash, every owner has to sign.
What if my ex won’t sign the title?
On an AND title, DMV needs each owner’s signature and cannot make anyone sign. A divorce judgment or other court order may support the transfer. Ask a family law attorney, and ask DMV which documents it needs.
Do I need a REG 256 to remove a name from a title?
Only for a name statement in Section F, or to claim a use tax or smog exemption. A plain transfer between owners does not always need it, but family transfers usually use it for the exemptions.
How long do I have to report a change of ownership to DMV?
You have 10 days. DMV adds penalties if payment does not arrive within 30 days.
Can I change my name on a car title by mail?
If you have the title, you can mail the REG 256 with it, or take both to a DMV office. If you have no title, a correction can go by mail, but a name change has to happen in person.