How to Change the Gender Marker on Your ID, License & Passport (2026)

Updating the gender marker on your documents is done separately for each record. Rules differ by state and can change, so this guide explains the categories and points you to a live, authoritative tracker.

Each document is separate

There is no single place to change your gender marker everywhere at once. You handle each record on its own:

• State ID / driver's license — through your state DMV.
• Birth certificate — through the vital records office of the state where you were born.
• Passport — through the U.S. Department of State.
• Social Security record — through the Social Security Administration.

Requirements vary — and change

What each office requires (a form, a court order, or a provider's letter) differs by state and agency, and federal passport policy has changed over time. Because of that, the single most reliable thing you can do is check current requirements on the ID Documents Center maintained by the National Center for Transgender Equality / Advocates for Trans Equality, which tracks the rules state by state and is kept up to date.

Get help

If you run into obstacles, the Lambda Legal Help Desk and local LGBTQ legal organizations can advise you for free.

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