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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:

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. The applicant must publish notice of the petition once at least two weeks before the hearing date. After the judgment is issued, notice must be published in the newspaper and 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). The New Jersey Courts provide instructions and forms for the name change process here.

See LeGal and NCTE's Name and Gender Change Guide for Residents of New Jersey for more detailed information on the process.

For instructions on legal name changes for minors under 18 in New Jersey, see NCTE's 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:

At this time, applicants may only designate gender as male or female.

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 isrequired. See the 2018 Babs Siperstein Law.

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

  • 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 ($6 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
Records 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 on the FAQ from the Department of Health, 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 prupose. See the 2018 Babs Siperstein Law.

 

 

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