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Gender Affirmation at the State and Federal Level

Guide to legally changing your name and/or gender in WA and in the US

The following information is a guide for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex students who have decided to go through the legal name change process and gender marker changes on identity documents (such as driver's license, passport, birth certificate, etc). Resources are provided for each step in the process.  

For information regarding how to change your name and gender marker in North Seattle College’s systems, please refer to (link).  

Name Change To-Do List:

  • Obtain court-ordered name change
  • Social Security Card
  • State ID or Driver’s License
  • Passport
  • Bank Accounts & Credit Cards  
  • Voter Registration
  • Health Provider
  • Job & School
  • Utilities 

To begin the Name Change process in WA State, you will need to file a Petition for Name Change with your district’s court. If a judge approves your request, then you will receive a Court Order for your name change. This will cost ~$300, and you can use this document to update your State and Federal forms of identification.

King County Name Changes
In King County, you will need to follow the steps listed on the District Court website, along with related forms, timelines, detailed costs, and info: https://kingcounty.gov/en/court/district-court/courts-jails-legal-system/name-changes

Other Washington County Name Changes
If you live in a county other King, then you can find information and a directory for all district courts here: https://www.courts.wa.gov/forms/?fa=forms.static&staticID=13 

Name Change  
After acquiring a legal name change and receiving a signed Name Change Court Order document, you will need to update Social Security. Updating Social Security is a necessary step before you can change the rest of your documentation. You will be able to use your updated Social Security Card to update ALL your other IDs.

To change your gender marker with Social Security they currently accept Self-ID and do not require any form of medical documentation, however the only current options are M or F. This can be updated at the same time as your name change documentation.  

  • You will need an unexpired identification document (examples here).  
  • Locate your local SSA via: https://www.ssa.gov/locator/ 
  • Fill out an updated SS-5 form: https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf
  • For more information on the process and information, visit: https://www.ssa.gov/personal-record/change-sex-identification

Legal Transition from Male to Female

  • You are still required to register with the Selective Service.

Legal Transition from Female to Male

You do not need to register with the Selective Service, however you must obtain a letter stating your exemption if you were born after January 1st, 1960 for the following reasons:

  • Legally, “a man who fails to register may, if prosecuted and convicted, face a fine of up to $25,000 and/or a prison term of up to five years.”
  • While it is highly unlikely that you will be prosecuted, a trans person who is legally male and does not register by age 26 and does not have an exemption letter may find that “some doors are permanently closed”. These include student financial aid, federal employment, federal job training, and US citizenship.
  • To request a Status Information Letter (SIL) that shows you are exempt, you can download an SIL request form from the Selective Service website (https://www.sss.gov/status-information-letter-sil/ or call at 1-888-655-1825. Applying for a Status Information Letter is free. 

To update your name on your state-issued ID, you will need to have already made the change with the Social Security Administration and provide an additional form of identification: https://dol.wa.gov/driver-licenses-and-permits/update-driver-license-information/change-your-name-or-address-your-driver-license 

Changing your gender in WA is fairly easy and based on Self-Identification. They provide options for M,F, and X: https://dol.wa.gov/driver-licenses-and-permits/update-driver-license-information/change-your-gender-designation 

To update your name and gender on your Paspport, you will need to vist the site below to fill out the relevant form at your state department location.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/change-correct.html 

Washington State
To update your Washington State Birth Certificate, you must obtain a certified copy of your court ordered name change. They will only accept certified copies, and as of 2020, they will not send the copy back.  

Name Change

Gender Marker

If you were born out of state, you will need to go through state you were born in.  As the process varies state by state, please refer to that states resources on birth certificate changing.  

In addition, this website is a good resource for an overview of each state’s policies and has links to the state resources: https://transequality.org/documents