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Florida 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.
NoCannot be changed right now

The Florida Department of Health is not amending the sex on Florida birth certificates, whatever documents you submit. You can still update your name on a Florida birth certificate after a court name change, for $20.

Main cost
$20
Apply
By mail
Typical wait
Usually 2 to 3 weeks

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

Until around 2023 the Bureau of Vital Statistics amended the sex on a Florida birth certificate with an application, a notarized affidavit, and a physician's letter. Advocates report that the Department of Health has since changed its policy and now refuses these requests; the current amendment application (DH 429) no longer offers a sex change option. There is no public rule or statute explaining the change, and Southern Legal Counsel is working to challenge it.

Name changes still work. When a Florida court grants your name change, the clerk sends a Report of Legal Name Change (DH 427) to Vital Statistics, and you apply for the amended certificate.

This guide applies only if you were born in Florida. If you were born in another state, that state's rules apply wherever you live now.

Steps

  1. Get your court name change[4]

    Complete the Florida name change process (see the name change guide). The clerk reports the judgment to Vital Statistics on form DH 427.

    Form
    DH 427

  2. Send the amendment application and fee[3][4]

    Mail DH 429, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order payable to Vital Statistics to Bureau of Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042. Questions about name change amendments go to 904-359-6900 ext. 9005.

    Form
    DH429
    Cost
    $20 amendment, including one certified copy; $4-$9 additional certified copies ordered at the same time; $10 optional rush processing
    Time
    Usually 2 to 3 weeks

Costs and fee waivers

WhatCostNotes
Amendment, including one certified copy[3][4]$20Non-refundable, even if the amendment cannot be completed.
Additional certified copies ordered at the same time[3]$4-$9$9 for the first additional copy, $4 for each one after that.
Optional rush processing[3]$10

More detail

Forms2 forms: DH429, DH 427

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

Forms everyone files (1)

DH429Application for Amendment to Florida Birth CertificateRequired

How to fill it out

  • Check Legal Name Change as the amendment type.
  • "Full Name on New Birth Record" is your new legal name exactly as in the court judgment.
  • Include a copy of the front and back of your photo ID. If your name was changed outside Florida, attach a certified copy of the order.

Open DH429Official Spanish version[3][4]

Forms only some people need (1)

DH 427Report of Legal Name ChangeSometimes required: Filed through the clerk of court as part of a Florida name change case; you do not send…

Filed through the clerk of court as part of a Florida name change case; you do not send it yourself.

Open DH 427[4]

RequirementsWhere you live, age, timeline
Where you live
You must have been born in Florida. Where you live now does not matter.[3][1][2]
Age
The registrant can apply at 18 or older; a parent or guardian applies for a minor.
How long it takes

About 2 to 3 weeks for a name amendment, per DOH; longer when workload is high.

After you finishIf you need a document with an updated sex marker, Florida documents are not an option right now.

If you need a document with an updated sex marker, Florida documents are not an option right now. Keep your certified name change judgment with your birth certificate. If the Department of Health refuses a name amendment or questions a previously amended certificate, contact Southern Legal Counsel.

Tips1 tip from people who have done this
  • The amendment fee is non-refundable, so do not send a sex-marker request expecting a refund if it is denied.
Laws and other guides1 other guide

Other trusted guides

Sources

4 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Step 5, Birth Certificate GenderFlorida Name Change Project, Community. accessed
    “The Florida Department of Health recently changed its policy to prohibit gender marker amendments on Florida birth certificates.”
  2. FAQ on DHSMV MemoEquality Florida, Organization. accessed
    “is not fulfilling requests to update gender markers on Florida birth certificates”
  3. DH 429, Application for Amendment to Florida Birth Certificate (3/2020)Florida Department of Health, Form. accessed
    “TYPE OF AMENDMENT (check one): Adoption, Correction, Legal Name Change, Paternity Establishment”
  4. Amendments and CorrectionsFlorida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Official page. accessed
    “A non-refundable fee of $20 is required for amending the record and includes one certification of the amended record.”