Maine

ID Documents Center

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:

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Maine Name Change Laws

To obtain a legal name change in Maine, an applicant must submit a petition to the probate court. There is a publication requirement which can be waived if the applicant is a victim of abuse or is currently in reasonable fear for their safety. (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 18-A, § 1-701)

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

Maine Drivers License Policy & Procedures

As of November 2019, Maine residents no longer need certification from a medical provider in order to change the gender on their driver's licenses or state ID cards. Applicants can change the gender marker to M, F, or X (non-binary). In order to update the name and/or gender on a Maine ID, the applicant must submit the following:

To update the name, a document demonstrating the legal name change, such as a court order. Applicants must notify the BMV of a legal name change within 30 days of the name change.
To update the gender marker, a Gender Designation Form requesting that the driver's license or non-driver state ID card read male (M), female (F), or non-binary (X).

The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles addresses obtaining a driver's license here.

Maine Birth Certificate Laws

Maine will issue an amended birth certificate with a letter from a physician verifying that the surgery/treatment has been "completed".

The applicant should submit the following documents:

An Application to Correct a Vital Record (indicating that the sex must be corrected);
A Physician's Affidavit for Legal Change of Sex (signed in front of a notary public);
If changing the name, the legal name change order from the probate court and Request to Amend Name on Birth Certificate; and
A check for $60 (includes one certified copy of the new record) payable to the Treasurer of the State of Maine.

Submit the application via mail to the following address:

Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS)
220 Capitol Street
11 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333-0011

Please note: the updated record will include a description of the evidence submitted in support of the correction (22 M.R.S. § 2705), but the printed certificate should not show the old information.