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Arizona birth certificates

Update your name
YesAfter your legal name change
Gender markerThe sex or gender field (M, F, or X) printed on an ID document or stored in an agency's record.
LimitedM or F with proof of surgery

If you were born in Arizona, you can change the sex on your birth certificate only with a physician's letter stating you have had a "sex change operation", or with a certified court order. Only M and F are available. The amendment fee is $30, plus $20 per certified copy. Name changes need a certified court order.

Main cost
$30
Apply
By mail

Draft from official sources, September 24, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify

This applies only if you were born here. Birth certificates follow your birth state, not where you live now. Choose your birth state

On this page
  1. How it works
  2. Steps
  3. Costs and fee waivers
  4. Forms
  5. Requirements
  6. After you finish
  7. Tips
  8. Laws and other guides
  9. Sources

How it works

Under A.R.S. § 36-337(A)(3) and rule R9-19-208(O), the State Registrar amends the sex on an Arizona birth certificate when you send a written request, an affidavit, and a statement on a physician's letterhead, signed and dated, saying you have undergone a sex change operation (or have a chromosomal count showing a different sex). The law does not define which surgery counts. ADHS also accepts a certified court order that directs the sex-marker amendment (§ 36-337(A)(4)).

When the record is amended, the original certificate and the supporting documents are sealed (§ 36-337(G)). Sex-marker amendments must go to the State Office of Vital Records in Phoenix, not a county office.

To change your name on the certificate, you need a certified court order of your name change. For certificates issued in 1997 or later, county vital records offices can do name amendments; older records go to the State Office.

Steps

  1. Get the supporting document[4][3][5]

    For the sex marker, get either:

    • a signed and dated statement on a physician's letterhead saying you have undergone a sex change operation, or
    • a certified court order directing the amendment of the sex on your birth record.

    For the name, get a certified copy of your name change order.

  2. Fill out the request and affidavit[4][5]

    Complete the birth certificate request and the amendment affidavit. Include a copy of the front and back of your signed government photo ID, or have the forms notarized.

  3. Mail everything to the State Office of Vital Records[4][7][6]

    Send the request, affidavit, supporting document, ID copy, fees, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to ADHS Bureau of Vital Records, PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005. Sex-marker amendments must go to the State Office. Questions: 602-364-1300 or 888-816-5907.

    Cost
    $30 request to amend a registered birth certificate; $20 certified copy of the birth certificate (each)

Costs and fee waivers

No fee waiver is available for this step.[6][9]

ADHS publishes no fee waiver. Trans Spectrum of Arizona's Affirming Identification grant may cover the cost for adults who have a court order.

WhatCostNotes
Request to amend a registered birth certificate[6]$30
Certified copy of the birth certificate (each)[6][9]$20Order at least one certified copy of the amended certificate. Trans Spectrum of Arizona's Affirming Identification grant can pay for amended birth certificates.

More detail

Forms2 forms

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

Bureau of Vital Records Request for Copy of Birth CertificateRequired

Open the formOfficial Spanish version[4]

Affidavit to Correct or Amend a Birth CertificateRequired

How to fill it out

  • Enter the information exactly as it appears on the current certificate, then the item to amend (sex, and name if applicable) and the new value.
  • Sign it yourself. Include a copy of the front and back of your signed government photo ID, or have your signature notarized.

Open the formOfficial Spanish version[4][5]

RequirementsWhere you live, age
Where you live
You must have been born in Arizona. Where you live now does not matter. If you were born in another state, follow that state's rules.[1][3][4][2]
Age
You can apply yourself if you are of legal age or married. For a minor, a parent or legal guardian applies (a guardian must include the guardianship order). Surgery is banned under 18 in Arizona, so the physician-letter route is generally unavailable to minors.
After you finishAn amended birth certificate showing your sex can be used at MVD instead of a physician's letter.

An amended birth certificate showing your sex can be used at MVD instead of a physician's letter. Keep the certified copy safe. The original is sealed and cannot be released without a court order.

Tips1 tip from people who have done this
  • If you have not had surgery, ask a lawyer or Trans Spectrum of Arizona whether local judges have granted court orders for sex-marker amendments. The Maricopa name change packet says the court needs a certified copy of your current birth certificate before ordering any change to it.
Laws and other guides2 laws, 1 other guide

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

9 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. A.R.S. § 36-337, Amending birth certificatesArizona State Legislature, Law. accessed
    “If the state registrar amends a registered birth certificate, the state registrar shall seal the previously registered birth certificate and the evidentiary documents provided to amend the registered birth certificate.”
  2. A.R.S. § 32-3230, Prohibition of irreversible gender reassignment surgery for minorsArizona State Legislature, Law. accessed
  3. Ariz. Admin. Code R9-19-208, Amendments to registered birth recordsLegal Information Institute (text of the Arizona Administrative Code), Regulation. accessed
    “A written statement on a physician's letterhead paper, signed and dated by the physician, that the individual has undergone a sex change operation”
  4. Other Types of Amendments (sex/gender marker)Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “Amendments to the parent role identifier or sex/gender must be submitted to the State Office.”
  5. Change a Registrant's Name on a Birth CertificateArizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “A certified, court ordered name change is required to amend the registrant's name one year or more after the registrant's birth.”
  6. Fee SchedulesArizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “Request to Amend or Correct Information in a Registered Birth Certificate: $30.00. Certificate of Birth Registration: $20.00.”
  7. Contact UsArizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
  8. CVNCA10p: How to file for a change of name for an adult with no minor childrenSuperior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County, Court. accessed
    “The Bureau of Vital Records office is only available for mail-in service and some services by appointment.”
  9. Affirming Identification AssistanceTrans Spectrum of Arizona, Organization. accessed