I Want to Change the Gender Marker on My ID or Birth Certificate

Changing the Gender Marker on Your Michigan ID or Driver’s License

To change the gender marker on your Michigan ID or driver’s license, complete the Michigan Secretary of State Sex Designation Form. This form does not require any medical treatment or surgical history to change your gender marker. When you sign the form, you are swearing the reason you want to change the gender marker is so that your ID can accurately reflect your identity. 

Once you complete the form, go to your local SOS office to submit it and pay the correction fee. You must do this in person. Be sure to bring your current ID or license with you. The fee is $9 to correct a driver's license and $10 for a state ID. Your new ID photo will be taken when you submit your form.

The SOS should send you your new ID or license within two or three weeks, but it could take up to 30 days. If you haven’t received it in over 30 days, contact the Department of State Information Center or visit your local SOS office.

Changing the Gender Marker on Your Michigan Birth Certificate

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is the agency that processes applications to change birth certificates. To change the gender marker on your Michigan birth certificate, complete the Application to Correct or Change a Michigan Birth Record and the State of Michigan Sex Designation Form. These forms do not require any medical treatment or surgical history to change your gender marker. Include a photocopy of a form of photo identification such as a passport, driver’s license, or state identification card. The full list of documents that MDHHS accepts can be found on page two of the Application to Correct or Change a Michigan Birth Record.

You will need to pay a $50 fee by check or money order payable to the “State of Michigan.” Mail the documents and payment to the address listed at the top of the form.

It will take about six weeks for MDHHS to process the application. There is an option for faster processing that costs an extra $25. It shortens the processing time to between two and three weeks.

When MDHHS finishes processing your application, they will send you one copy of the new certificate. You can ask for more copies as part of your application. Each extra copy costs $16.

Changing the Gender Marker on Your Passport

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) website provides guidelines for changing gender markers on passports. To change your gender marker, you must complete Form DS-11, which is the general form to apply for a passport. You will also need all of the following documents:

• ID that resembles your current appearance
• Passport photo that resembles your current appearance
• Proof of legal name change, such as an Order Following Hearing on Petition to Change Name if you are also asking for a name change on your passport
• Proof of U.S. citizenship (to learn more, read the section “Provide Evidence of U.S. Citizenship” on the Apply in Person page of the DOS website)

Selecting Your Gender Marker 

The DOS no longer requires a medical certification from a doctor to change the gender marker on your U.S. passport. You can now select the gender you would like printed on your passport, even if the gender you select does not match the gender on your supporting documentation such as a birth certificate, previous passport, or driver’s license. The gender markers currently available are “Male” or “Female”. The DOS is working to add additional gender markers. To learn more about these updates, visit the DOS website.

Fees and Processing Time

The fee for a new passport book with a changed gender marker is $110, payable to the U.S. Department of State. The fee for a new passport card is $30. With both a passport book and card, you must also pay a $35 execution (acceptance) fee to the acceptance facility. To learn more, visit Passport Fees on the DOS website.

As of November 2021, the DOS says it can take up to 11 weeks for a routine passport to be processed. To learn more, visit the DOS's Processing Times webpage. If you have already applied for a new passport, you can check its status using the DOS’s Online Passport Status System.