Name Change

To change your name in the Social Security Administration (SSA) records, provide the following at your local SSA office.  All documents need to be originals or certified copies by the issuing agency.  You can find the nearest SSA office at the Social Security website.

1. A completed Form SS-5, “Application For A Social Security Card.”
2. Proof of identity.  One or more identity documents in your new legal name, such as driver license, passport, state-issued ID, etc.  These documents must show your current legal name.
3. Proof of former identity.  One or more identity documents in your former name.  These documents can be expired.
4. Proof of legal name change, such as your court order for legal name change, marriage document, divorce decree, or Certificate of Naturalization.
5. If you are a U.S. citizen and have not previously established citizenship with SSA, you will need to present a birth certificate, U.S. passport, or other proof of citizenship. Note: Your birth certificate or other document establishing citizenship does not need to show your current name or gender, but you will need to show proof that you are the same person.  In most circumstances this will be the same as #4 above.
6. If you are a non-citizen, you will need to show documents proving your immigration status and work eligibility.  These documents could include Form I-551, I-94 with unexpired foreign passport, and/or work permit card (I-766 or I-688B).  Because there are many types and combinations of qualifying documents for non-citizens, you should call SSA to confirm that your documents qualify.

 

Gender Change

To change your name in the Social Security Administration (SSA) records, provide the following at your local SSA office.  All documents need to be originals or certified copies by the issuing agency.  You can find the nearest SSA office at the Social Security website.

1. A completed Form SS-5  “Application For A Social Security Card.”
2.  Proof of identity.  One or more identity documents in your new legal name, such as, a driver license, passport, state-issued ID, etc.  These documents must show your current legal name.
3. A letter from the surgeon or attending physician verifying sex change surgery has been completed.  This letter must clearly identify you as the person changing their gender marker.  
4. If you are a U.S. citizen and have not previously established citizenship with SSA, you will need to present a birth certificate, U.S. passport, or other proof of citizenship. Note:  your birth certificate or other document establishing citizenship does not need to show your current name or gender.  However, you will need to show proof that you are the same person, such as with a court order for legal name change.
5. If you are a non-citizen, you will need to show documents proving your immigration status and work eligibility, such as, Form I-551, I-94 with unexpired foreign passport, and/or work permit card (I-766 or I-688B).  Because there are many types and combinations of qualifying documents for non-citizens, you should call SSA to confirm that your documents qualify.

Additional Information for Social Security Name and Gender Changes

One document can be used for two purposes, such as a passport to both establish identity and prove U.S. citizenship.

Your Social Security card is not required when changing your information, but can be helpful.

For more information, see this Social Security Administration webpage on name changes.

For more information on providing proof of citizenship and identity, see this SSA webpage.

To obtain a copy of your birth certificate, write or visit the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the state you were born in. For a complete listing by state, go to the National Center for Vital Statistics website.

While it is possible to mail in your application for name and gender changes, it requires sending originals of your current identity documents. Most people will likely find sending their driver license, or other ID, an impractical undertaking. If you live in the New York City Metropolitan area, Phoenix AZ, or Las Vegas NV, you cannot mail in your application and must go to the SSA office in-person.

Please contact NCTE if you have recently had problems (or notable success) changing your social security information. We are working hard on identity document issues and your help assists us in creating beneficial policy change.

Name Change

You must submit:

1. A completed DS-5044 form (Passport Amendment/Validation Application), which you can download here. Use this form only if you have a current, valid passport that was issued one year ago at most. If your passport is older than one year, you will need to use the DS-82 form (Application for a U.S. Passport by Mail), which you can download here. Unfortunately, this means you will have to pay all of the fees associated with getting a new passport.
2. A certified copy of a marriage certificate or name change court degree to prove that your name has legally changed.
3. Your current passport.

Using the DS-5044, there is no fee unless you need your passport immediately. All of this information should be mailed to the corresponding address below:

Using the DS-5044

Using the DS-82

Using the United States Postal Service

National Passport Processing P.O. Box 13290 Philadelphia, PA 19101-3290

National Passport Processing Post Office Box 371971 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7971

Using another mail delivery service

National Passport Processing ATTN: Department 13290 1617 Brett Road New Castle, DE 19720

Passport Services Lockbox ATTN: Password Supervisor, 371971 500 Ross Street, Room 154-0670 Pittsburgh, PA 15262-0001

Gender Change

You must submit:

1. Evidence of citizenship and proof of identity (for example, a driver's license or birth certificate).
2. A photo that is a good likeness of current appearance.
3. A fee of $85 to have a new passport issued.
4. Medical documentation stating that you have had or are planning on having surgery.

For Post Op transpeople, this documentation consists of a letter from a surgeon or hospital that performed surgery, a detailed statement from a medical surgeon regarding the surgery and name change evidence, if applicable (for example, a certified copy of a court document).

For Pre Op transpeople, this documentation consists of a detailed statement from a surgeon with whom you have plans to undergo surgery. This statement must outline the plans for your surgery. If you are traveling to undergo it, the passport agency will issue a temporary passport valid for one year.

All of this information should be mailed to the following address:
Charleston Passport Center
Attention: Amendments
1269 Holland Street
Charleston, SC 29405

There is a tendency for the State Department to “endorse” or simply “stamp over” the previous gender marker on a passport. The stamp states that a change of sex has taken place on a particular date. NCTE has been told that this happens if the passport is valid for a few more years. The Agency does not like to reissue passports so they simply use the stamp. The National Passport Information Center suggests that to get around this, you should start over completely by requesting a new passport. Send in all the above documentation with a letter stating why you need a new passport and not a stamp-over.

Please contact NCTE if you have recently had problems changing your passport information.