Georgia Identity Documents

Georgia Name Change Laws

To obtain a legal name change in Georgia, an applicant must submit a petition to the court. Within seven days of filing the petition, the applicant must publish notice of the name change in the county’s "official legal organ" once a week for four weeks. (Ga. Code Ann. § 19-12-1). Publication can sometimes be waived if the applicant is a victim of family violence.

Our Name Change Project also connects low-income transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people in Atlanta with legal representation for their name changes. You can complete an application for assistance via our website.

For instructions on legal name changes for minors under 18 in Georgia, see our Name Changes for Minors in Georgia resource.

Georgia Drivers License Policy & Procedures

In order to update the name on a Georgia ID:

• Submit a court order certifying the name change to Driver Services
• Applicants must change the name on their Georgia ID within 60 days of a legal name change

In order to update the gender marker on a Georgia ID:

• The applicant must submit either a court order or a physician's letter certifying the gender change. 
• The letter or court order shall state the person's name, date of birth, date of gender reassignment operation and other identifying information. 
• A passport showing the gender update can also be used as evidence for a gender marker change.

The Georgia Department of Driver Services addresses name and gender change here.

Georgia Birth Certificate Laws

Georgia will amend the sex on a birth certificate "upon receipt of a certified copy of a court order indicating the sex of an individual born in this state has been changed by surgical procedure and that such individual's name has been changed." Ga. Code Ann. § 31-10-23(e). Such birth certificates will be issued as new and not marked as amended.

To apply for an amended birth certificate, the applicant should submit

• An Affidavit for Amendment of the birth certificate
• A certified copy of the court order changing name and sex
• A medical certification from the physician's office with the physician's original signature
• A copy of valid government issued photo ID
• A money order or cashier's check with the associated fees.

Submit the documents to

State Office of Vital Records
1680 Phoenix Boulevard
Suite 100
Atlanta GA 30349

More information from the GA Office of Vital Records can be found here.