Kentucky Identity Documents

Kentucky Name Change Laws

To obtain a legal name change in Kentucky, an applicant must submit a petition to the court. No publication is required; the court keeps the name change in a book of records. (Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 401.010-401.040).

For instructions on legal name changes for minors under 18 in Kentucky, see NCTE's Name Changes for Minors in Kentucky resource.

Kentucky Drivers License Policy & Procedures

To change the name on a Kentucky ID, the applicant must submit a document demonstrating the name change, such as a birth certificate or court order. To change the gender marker, the applicant must submit one of the four documents:

• An updated birth certificate showing the correct gender
• A court order of gender change
• A 10 year Passport showing the correct gender
• A letter from a surgeon stating that gender reassignment surgery has been completed

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet addresses name changes here.

Kentucky Birth Certificate Laws

Kentucky will issue an amended certificate of birth "[u]pon receipt of a sworn statement by a licensed physician indicating that the gender of an individual born in the Commonwealth has been changed by surgical procedure and a certified copy of an order of a court of competent jurisdiction changing that individual's name." Certificates shall be marked as amended. Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. 213.121. The Office of Vital Statistics is at 275 E. Main St. 1E-A, Frankfort, KY  40621 and can be reached at (502) 564-4212.