Oregon

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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Oregon Name Change Laws

To obtain a legal name change in Oregon, an applicant must submit a petition to the court in the county where you live. There will only be a hearing if the court tells you or sends you a hearing notice. The court will send a Notice of Entry of Judgement when the name change is granted, and contact the court to get a copy of the Judgement. (Or. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 33.420.

Applicants can petition for the court to recognize their name and gender change at the same time.

Please note: Individuals born in Oregon can change their legal name on their birth certificate without needing a court ordered name change. See below for instructions

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

Oregon Drivers License Policy & Procedures

In order to update name and/or gender on an Oregon ID, the applicant must apply in person, surrender their current Oregon ID, and submit:

An application for an original, renewal, or replacement ID. The sex designation options are M, F, or X, and applicants should mark their desired designation, no additional evidence required.
Pay the applicable fee.
Have a new photo taken.
If the request to change the gender on the ID includes a legal name change, the applicant must also present proof of legal name change.

Oregon Department of Transportation website provides additional information on name changes and changing gender designation.

Oregon Birth Certificate Laws

As of January 1, 2018, individuals born in Oregon can update the name and gender on their birth certificate to affirm their gender identity by completing a notarized application OR a court order. See HB2673 and the corresponding administrative rule.

To apply for an updated birth certificate with a notarized application, an applicant should submit:

Application to Change Name and/or Sex on a Birth Record, signed by the applicant in front of a notary
Birth Record Order Form
Applicable Fees ($35 amendment fee, $25 for each certified copy)
Photocopy of the applicant's ID

Applications can be submitted in person or by mail:

IN PERSON BY MAIL
800 NE Oregon St, Suite 225 Oregon Vital Records
Portland, OR 97232 PO Box 14050
9am - 4pm Portland, OR 97293-0050

Upon approval, the applicant will receive:

A certified copy of the new record of live birth (if ordered)
A copy of the application form requesting the change
Official letter from the State Registrar showing the legal name and/or gender change

Please note: the Social Security Administration WILL accept the new birth certificate along with the official letter from the registrar showing the name change as evidence of a legal name change, as detailed in this section of the SSA Manual.

To apply for an updated birth certificate with a court order, the applicant should follow the instructions to petition for a court order for change of sex available here. Applicants for a court order are no longer required to provide public notice of the name or gender marker change. Instructions from Vital Records on how to change an Oregon birth certificate with a court order can be found here.