Hawaii birth certificates
Change detected, under review. An official source this page relies on changed recently. Part of this page may be out of date until we review it.
- Page changed: Amendments (2026-10-05) · #129
- 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
If you were born in Hawaii, you can get a new birth certificate showing male or female by sending the Department of Health an application and a notarized affidavit from a US-licensed physician. No court order or surgery is required, but a therapist or nurse practitioner cannot sign, and X is not offered.
- Main cost
- $3
- Apply
- By mail or in person
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
How it works
Under HRS § 338-17.7 (as amended in 2015), the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) issues a new birth certificate with a changed sex designation when you submit an application and a notarized affidavit from a physician licensed in the United States. The physician must state that they have a bona fide physician-patient relationship with you, have evaluated your medical history, and that you "had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition" and have completed transition to the new gender. What counts as appropriate treatment is up to the physician; surgery is not required.
Only a physician as defined in HRS § 338-1 can sign. Naturopathic doctors are expressly not accepted. The DOH page lists only a change of sex designation and does not offer an X or nonbinary option.
The new certificate replaces the original, which is sealed and can be opened only by court order or at your request. This guide applies only if you were born in Hawaii. If you were born in another state, follow that state's rules.
Steps
Get a current certified copy of your birth certificate[3]
Order online at vitrec.ehawaii.gov ($10 for the first copy plus a $2.50 administration fee). Your physician needs to see it.
- Cost
- $12.50 certified copy ($10 first copy, $4 each additional, plus $2.50 administration fee per up to 5 copies)
Ask your physician to complete the notarized affidavit[1]
Any US-licensed physician who treats you can sign, including a prescriber at an informed-consent hormone clinic or a telehealth provider, as long as they are a physician (not a nurse practitioner or naturopath). Many clinics have done this before; ask them.
Send the original notarized application, the physician affidavit, and the fee.
- By mail: Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, Registration/Corrections Section, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801-3378. Pay by cashier's check, certified check, or money order payable to the State Department of Health.
- In person (by appointment, weekdays 7:45 am to 2:30 pm): 1250 Punchbowl Street, Room 105, Honolulu. Call 808-586-4541 to schedule.
Add the fee for any certified copies of the new certificate you want.
Costs and fee waivers
More detail
Forms2 forms
Open a form for tips on filling it out.
Application for Amendment to Birth RecordRequired
How to fill it out
- Fill in the birth record information exactly as it appears on your current certificate.
- List the sex designation as the item to change. If you have already completed a legal name change, also list the name and attach a certified copy of your recorded name change Order.
- Sign and have it notarized; DOH asks for original notarized forms.
Physician Affidavit Form for Sex Designation ChangeRequired
How to fill it out
- Give your physician a current certified copy of your birth certificate; the physician must attest to having seen it.
- The physician (MD or DO licensed in any US state, not a naturopath) completes and signs the affidavit in front of a notary.
RequirementsWhere you live
- Where you live
- You must have been born in Hawaii with a birth certificate on file with DOH. You do not need to live in Hawaii now.[1]
- Other
- You need a physician who has treated you and will sign the affidavit before a notary.
After you finishOrder extra certified copies of the new certificate.
Order extra certified copies of the new certificate. The birth certificate is not required to update a Hawaii driver's license, which uses self-attestation, but you may need it for a passport or other records.
Tips2 tips from people who have done this
- To have your new name on the new certificate, finish your legal name change (including recording the Order) first. If you change your name later, it has to be amended separately.
- Once an item is amended, DOH will not amend it again without a court order (or, for a name, a new name change decree).
Laws and other guides1 law, 1 other guide
Laws and rules
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 338-17.7: New certificate of birth, including sex designation change
Other trusted guides
- MAP, Hawaii equality profile. Confirms that Hawaii allows birth certificate changes but does not offer an X option.
Sources
3 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
- New Birth Certificate for Sex Designation Change
“The requestor must provide a notarized affidavit from a United States licensed physician attesting that ... The birth registrant has had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition to the new gender”
- Amendments
“In most cases, a fee of $3.00 is charged for each request for the amendment of an item or group of items on a given certificate.”
- Hawaii Birth & Marriage Certificates
“$10.00 First Copy $4.00 Each Additional Copy $2.50 General Administration Fee (for up to 5 copies)”