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Welcome to our one-stop hub for name and gender change information. Find out how to update your name and gender on state and federal IDs and records. 

Most courts and government offices have resumed normal operations with the formal end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Make sure to contact your local court or other government offices for details on their current operating hours and procedures, including if they require appointments for in-person visits.. You should keep dated copies of any materials you submit by mail or electronically. 

Last updated November 2023

 

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Name Change, Driver's License & Birth Certificate Policies in:

Federal IDs and Records:

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). 

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

Georgia Drivers License Policy & Procedures

In order to update the name on a Georgia ID:

  • Applicant must first change their name with the Social Security Administration
  • Then 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. 

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

Vital Records, Amendment Unit
1680 Phoenix Boulevard
Suite 100
Atlanta GA 30349

The website for the GA Office of Vital Records can be found here.

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