Trans Resource Navigator

Driver’s license and state ID in Illinois

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.
YesM, F, or X with your own signed form

Illinois lets you choose M, F, or X on your driver's license or state ID by signing the one-page Gender Designation Change Form at a Secretary of State DMV facility. No doctor's letter, court order, or birth certificate change is needed. It costs $5 for a license or $10 for an ID card, and nothing extra if you do it at renewal.

Main cost
$5
Apply
In person
Typical wait
about 15 business days

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

The Secretary of State's Gender Designation Change Form (DSD A 329) has one statement: you choose Male, Female, or X and swear, under penalty of perjury, that the request is to make your license or ID reflect your gender identity and is not for a fraudulent purpose. That is the whole requirement. Illinois law bars the Secretary from asking for any other documentation to confirm your sex or gender identity, and the form is confidential.

Your license and state ID are issued by the same office and must show the same marker. They do not have to match your birth certificate or passport.

Changing your name on the card is a separate correction that needs a document linking your old and new names, usually a certified copy of your court Order for Name Change. You can do both at the same visit.

Steps

  1. Print and sign the Gender Designation Change Form[1]

    Download DSD A 329, check M, F, or X, and sign in ink. You can also ask for the form at the facility.

  2. If your name is changing, bring proof of the new name[2]

    Optional

    Bring a certified copy of your court Order for Name Change (or a marriage certificate or divorce judgment), along with your current card and acceptable ID from the SOS list. The SOS requires a document that links your previous name to your new one. By law you should report a name change to the SOS within 10 days.

  3. Visit a Secretary of State DMV facility[2][1]

    Bring the signed form, your current license or ID (you turn it in), and name-change documents if applicable. Pay $5 for a corrected license or $10 for a corrected ID card; there is no extra fee if you change the marker when you renew. You get a new photo and leave with a temporary secure paper license valid for 90 days.

    Cost
    $5 corrected driver's license (gender or name change); $10 corrected state ID card

  4. Receive the permanent card by mail[2]

    The permanent card is mailed to your address on file, usually within 15 business days.

    Time
    about 15 business days

Costs and fee waivers

No fee waiver is available for this step.[2]

The SOS lists no fee waiver for a corrected card. Illinois does offer free state IDs to some groups (for example people experiencing homelessness and people recently released from IDOC or IDJJ); ask at the facility whether one applies to you.

WhatCostNotes
Corrected driver's license (gender or name change)[2][1]$5No additional fee if the gender designation is changed at renewal (you pay the normal renewal fee).
Corrected state ID card[2][1]$10

More detail

Forms2 forms: DSD A 329, DSD X 173

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

Forms everyone files (1)

DSD A 329Gender Designation Change FormRequired

How to fill it out

  • Section A: your name, license or ID number, and residential address exactly as on your current card.
  • Section B: print your name again and check Male, Female, or X.
  • Attestation: sign and date in ink. The SOS only accepts the original with an ink signature; photocopies and faxes are refused.
  • Leave the "SOS personnel only" box blank.

Open DSD A 329[1]

Forms only some people need (1)

DSD X 173Acceptable identification documents list (bring for any corrected card)Sometimes required: Use it to check which ID and name-change documents to bring, especially if you are also…

Use it to check which ID and name-change documents to bring, especially if you are also changing your name.

Open DSD X 173[2]

RequirementsWhere you live, age, timeline
Where you live
You must hold, or be applying for, an Illinois driver's license, instruction permit, or state ID card.[1][2][3][4]
Age
No minimum age is stated on the form; the applicant signs the attestation. Minors applying for a license also need the usual parental consent for the license itself.
How long it takes

One facility visit, then about 15 business days for the permanent card to arrive by mail.

After you finishYour Illinois license or ID is valid for REAL ID purposes (if it is a REAL ID card), for voting, and for TSA screening even with an X…

Your Illinois license or ID is valid for REAL ID purposes (if it is a REAL ID card), for voting, and for TSA screening even with an X marker. Be aware that as of September 2026 the US passport and Social Security record are issued only with the sex assigned at birth, so your federal documents may not match your Illinois card. Talk to the IL Pride Connect Legal Hotline (855-805-9200) before applying for federal documents with a different marker.

Tips3 tips from people who have done this
  • You do not need a name change, a new birth certificate, or any medical care to change the marker. Each can be done separately and in any order.
  • Changing the marker at your regular renewal avoids the $5 or $10 correction fee.
  • If a DMV employee asks for medical proof or a court order, ask for a supervisor; the law bars any documentation beyond the form.
Laws and other guides3 laws, 2 other guides

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

4 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Gender Designation Change Form, DSD A 329.3 (March 2026)Illinois Secretary of State, Driver Services Department, Form. accessed
    “want the gender designation on my driver's license/ID card to read Male, Female, X ... To change your gender marker, present this form and submit your existing driver's license or ID card at a DMV. The fee for a new driver's license is $5 and a new state ID card is $10.”
  2. Driver's license and state ID card (Name Change, Gender Change, Duplicate or Corrected)Illinois Secretary of State, Official page. accessed
    “If you change the gender designation when renewing your license or ID, there is no additional fee. At any time other than renewal, there is a $5 fee for a corrected driver's license and a $10 fee for a corrected ID card.”
  3. Public Act 104-536 (HB 5095), gender designation on driver's licenses and ID cardsIllinois General Assembly, Law. accessed
    “The Secretary of State shall not require any additional question, documentation, support, certification, or verification to change a gender marker.”
  4. Updating sex and gender markers on identification FAQIllinois Legal Aid Online, Organization. accessed
    “An Illinois driver's license and state identification card are issued by the same office and must have the same marker.”