Trans Resource Navigator

Driver’s license and state ID in Arizona

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 a letter from a doctor

You can change the sex on an Arizona driver's license or ID between M and F with a signed statement from a licensed physician. No surgery or court order is needed. X is not offered. You must go in person to an MVD office, and a duplicate card costs $12.

Main cost
$12, can be waived
Apply
In person

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

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

Arizona's Motor Vehicle Division (MVD, part of ADOT) changes the sex on a license or ID card when you bring a statement from a licensed physician saying you are "irrevocably committed" to your gender transition. The statement must include the physician's license number and be no more than three months old. An amended birth certificate showing the new sex is also accepted. The application form (40-5122) offers only Female and Male.

Changing your name is a separate step. Update Social Security first, wait two business days, then bring the certified court order to MVD. You must report a legal name change to MVD within 10 days.

Steps

  1. Get a signed statement from a licensed physician[1][2]

    Ask your doctor for a letter on office letterhead stating that you are irrevocably committed to the gender-change process. It must include the physician's license number and be signed. Use it within three months of the date it was signed. Informed-consent hormone clinics and Planned Parenthood Arizona can often provide one.

  2. If your name changed, update Social Security first[5]

    MVD checks your record with the Social Security Administration. After SSA updates your name, wait two business days before you go to MVD.

  3. Visit an MVD office[5][4][3]

    Go to an MVD office or authorized third-party office with your current card, the physician's letter, form 40-5122, and a certified court order if your name is changing. You will take a new photo and pay for a duplicate card.

    Cost
    $12 duplicate driver's license or ID card (including Travel ID)

Costs and fee waivers

Can’t afford it? You may not have to pay.[4]

There is no waiver for driver's licenses. A non-travel ID card has no fee if you are 65 or older or receive SSI.

WhatCostNotes
Duplicate driver's license or ID card (including Travel ID)[4][6]$12Non-travel ID cards are free for people 65 and older and for SSI recipients. Trans Spectrum of Arizona's Affirming Identification grant can pay this fee.

More detail

Forms1 form

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

Travel License / Identification ApplicationRequired

How to fill it out

  • In the Sex field, check the box for your gender: Female or Male. No X option is printed.
  • If your name is also changing, write the new legal name exactly as it appears on your certified court order.
  • The MVD clerk can also give you the form at the office.

Open the form[3]

RequirementsWhere you live, timeline
Where you live
You must hold or be applying for an Arizona driver's license or ID card.[1][2]
Other
The letter must come from a licensed physician (MD or DO). Letters from therapists, nurses, or physician assistants were not accepted as of the most recent secondary source.
How long it takes

One office visit. You get an interim document, and the card arrives by mail.

After you finishYour license is the ID most places check, so do this soon after Social Security.

Your license is the ID most places check, so do this soon after Social Security. The US passport and Social Security record currently cannot show a changed sex marker, but you can still update your name there.

Tips2 tips from people who have done this
  • If a clerk asks for surgery records or a court order for the sex change, ask for a supervisor. The documented requirement is a physician's statement only.
  • You do not need to change your name to change your sex marker, or the reverse.
Laws and other guides1 other guide

Other trusted guides

Sources

6 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Arizona identity documentsAdvocates for Trans Equality, Organization. accessed
    “a signed statement from a licensed physician attesting that the applicant is irrevocably committed to the gender-change process”
  2. How to legally change your gender in Arizona (January 2019)Carter Law Firm, Community. accessed
  3. Form 40-5122, Travel License / Identification Application (rev. R01/26)Arizona Department of Transportation, MVD, Form. accessed
    “Sex Female Male”
  4. Fees (Driver License)Arizona Department of Transportation, MVD, Official page. accessed
    “Duplicate license or ID card: $12”
  5. Change your name with MVDArizona Department of Transportation, MVD, Official page. accessed
    “You must update your name with MVD within 10 days of your legal name change taking effect.”
  6. Affirming Identification AssistanceTrans Spectrum of Arizona, Organization. accessed