New Jersey Identity Documents

New Jersey Name Change Laws

To obtain a legal name change in New Jersey, an applicant must submit a petition to the court, including information about any convictions or pending charges. After the judgment is issued, a copy of the judgment must be sent to the State Bureau of Identification. (NJ R SUPER TAX SURR CTS CIV R. 4:72-1 to 4:72-4). 

New Jersey provides instructions and forms for the name change process here. Our Name Change Project also connects low-income transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people in several counties in New Jersey 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 New Jersey, see our Name Changes for Minors in New Jersey resource.

New Jersey Drivers License Policy & Procedures

In order to update name and/or gender on a New Jersey ID, the applicant must submit:

• A Declaration of Gender Designation Change form, if requesting a gender change
• A court order certifying the name change, if requesting a change of name

Applicants may designate their gender marker as M, F, or X.

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission addresses name changes here.

New Jersey Birth Certificate Laws

New Jersey will issue updated birth certificates reflecting a gender of female, male, or undesignated/non-binary, upon receipt of a form signed by the applicant. No medical documentation is required. See the 2018 Babs Siperstein Law.

To apply for an amended birth certificate the requestor should submit:

• Application to Amend a NJ Vital Record
• If registrant is an adult, Request Form and Attestation, completed and signed by the registrant.
• If registrant is a minor under 18, Parent/Guardian Request Form and Attestation, signed by the parent or guardian.
• If changing the name, a certified copy of the legal name change court order.
• A copy of the original birth certificate.
• A copy of the identification card of the requestor (adult registrant, parent, or guardian).
• A check/money order for the applicable fees payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey ($2 to process the change, $25 for the first requested certified copy of amended birth certificate, $2 for each additional copy)

Send the application by mail to:

Office of Vital Statistics & Registry
Attn: -- Record Modification Unit
PO Box 370
Trenton, NJ 08625-0370

The amended birth certificate will not be marked as amended and the original will be placed under seal.

Additional information is available here, and you can direct questions to [email protected], 609-292-4087, or 866-649-8726.

Court Order for Gender Change

If you are a New Jersey resident but you were born in another state that requires a court order to update a birth certificate, beginning February 1, 2019 the courts in New Jersey have the authority to issue a court order to reflect a change in gender. You will need to submit to the court a statement affirming under penalty of perjury that the request for a declaration of (female, male, or undesignated/non-binary) gender is to conform with your gender identity and not for any fraudulent purpose. See the 2018 Babs Siperstein Law.