Welcome to our one-stop hub for name and gender change information. Find out how to get a legal name change where you live and update your name/gender on state and federal IDs and records.
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To obtain a legal name change in Texas, an applicant must submit a petition to the court. No publication is required. The applicant must be fingerprinted and submit documentation of their criminal record. Individuals with a felony conviction may change their name if more than two years have passed since the end of the sentence and if not under probation or parole, or if the individual has been pardoned. Registered sex offenders must notify local law enforcement of the proposed name change. (Tex. Fam. Code Ann. §§45.101 to 45.106)
For instructions on legal name changes for minors under 18 in Texas, see NCTE's Name Changes for Minors in Texas resource.
In order to update the name and/or gender on a Texas ID, the applicant must submit (1) a document demonstrating the name change, such as a birth certificate or court order and/or (2) a court order certifying the gender change. The Texas Department of Public Safety addresses name and gender change here. Applicants must inform DPS of a legal name change within 30 days of the name change.
Texas Vital Statistics will issue a new birth certificate with an updated gender marker upon receipt of a court order for change of sex. Tex. Health & Safety Code Ann. § 192.011. To apply for a new birth certificate, the applicant should submit to the Vital Records office:
To obtain a court order for change of sex in Texas, please review information available on the Texas Name and Gender Change Wiki for information about the specific counties where judges are issuing court orders for change of sex. Texas does not have a specific gender marker provision in its birth certificate amendment statute, and current case law and evidence indicates that some Texas officials and judges are adverse to issuing the necessary court orders.