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Indiana birth certificates

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  • Page changed: Ind. Code 16-37-2-10 (2026-10-12) · #225
  • Page changed: Ind. Code 16-37-2-10 (2026-09-28) · #31
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 Indiana Department of Health has not processed sex-marker changes on birth certificates since Governor Braun's March 2025 executive order, even with a court order; requests are sent to the Attorney General's office. You can still change the name on an Indiana birth certificate with a certified name-change order ($8 plus $10 for a copy).

Main cost
$8
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

In court: In re the Change of Gender of V.E.

Pending. Until it is decided, IDOH is not processing sex-marker changes and existing court orders may be challenged.[10][8]

About this case

Appeal over the State's attempt to intervene in a closed gender-marker change case. The Attorney General argues trial courts cannot order agencies to change sex on birth certificates when that conflicts with EO 25-36.

Indiana Court of Appeals. Last update 2026-04-18.

In court: In re the Matter of Z.C.

Shows that orders issued in 2025 can be reopened by the State. Get legal advice if you have one.[10]

About this case

The State moved to intervene in a gender-marker and name change case seven months after it was resolved.

Marion County Superior Court. Last update 2026-04-18.

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

How it works

Indiana has no statute on changing the sex on a birth certificate. For years, people born in Indiana got a court order and IDOH amended the record. That stopped in March 2025: after Executive Order 25-36 defined sex as "immutable biological classification", the State Registrar told local health departments to stop processing gender change requests and to send pending ones to the Attorney General's office.

What applies right now:

  • Sex marker: not being changed. Indiana Legal Services advises not to send a gender-marker request to IDOH or your county health department, because your application may be forwarded to the Attorney General.
  • Court orders: some judges still sign gender-marker orders, but IDOH is not honoring them, and the Attorney General has tried to intervene in and undo already-closed cases (see litigation). An order that changes both name and sex can cause trouble even for the name part.
  • Previously amended certificates: there is no blanket voiding, but the Attorney General is challenging some past court-approved changes case by case.
  • Name: still changes normally with a certified name-only court order.

This applies only if you were born in Indiana. If you were born in another state, that state's rules control your birth certificate.

Steps

  1. Get a certified name-only court order[6][7]

    See the name change guide. On the petition, check the box asking that the name on your birth certificate be changed. Do not combine a sex-marker request with the name change.

  2. Take the order to the health department of the county where you were born[6][1][3]

    Indiana Legal Services says this is often the fastest way. Bring your driver's license, state ID, or passport and a certified copy of the order. To do it by mail, call that county health department first. You can also call IDOH Vital Records at 317-233-2700 for the current statewide procedure.

    Cost
    $8 amendment or correction of a birth certificate; $10 certified birth certificate (first copy)

  3. Order certified copies of the amended record[3]

    Order extra copies in the same request; each additional copy in the same order is $4.

    Cost
    $4 each additional copy in the same order

Costs and fee waivers

WhatCostNotes
Amendment or correction of a birth certificate[3]$8
Certified birth certificate (first copy)[3]$10
Each additional copy in the same order[3]$4

More detail

RequirementsWhere you live, age, timeline
Where you live
You must have been born in Indiana. Where you live now does not matter.[1][2][4][5][8][9][11][6]
Age
Adults request their own amendment. For a minor, a parent or guardian requests it.
How long it takes

IDOH does not publish a processing time for amendments. Copy orders take 10 to 15 business days after receipt.

After you finishOnce your name is updated, use the new certificate for anything that asks for proof of birth.

Once your name is updated, use the new certificate for anything that asks for proof of birth. The sex on it will not change for now. If you receive a letter from IDOH or the Attorney General about a past gender-marker amendment, contact the ILS LGBTQ+ Project (317-829-3180) or the ACLU of Indiana before responding.

Tips1 tip from people who have done this
  • If your old court order changed both your name and sex, Indiana Legal Services asks you to contact them before using it at vital records.
Laws and other guides2 laws, 2 other guides

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

11 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Corrections and amendmentsIndiana Department of Health, Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “To correct or amend a birth certificate, please call (317) 233-2700.”
  2. Amendments and corrections FAQsIndiana Department of Health, Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “What is needed to change the sex on a birth record? A court order is needed for a legal sex change.”
  3. Vital Records fee scheduleIndiana Department of Health, Official page. accessed
    “Birth Certificate $10.00; Additional Birth Certificates in the Same Order $4.00; Amendment / Correction on a Birth Certificate $8.00”
  4. Ind. Code 16-37-2-10FindLaw (copy of the Indiana Code), Law. accessed
    “The state department may make additions to or corrections in a certificate of birth on receipt of adequate documentary evidence”
  5. Executive Order 25-36Office of the Governor of Indiana, Official page. accessed
  6. Updating ID documents packet (rev. 8.7.25)Indiana Legal Services, LGBTQ+ Project, Organization. accessed
    “Do not send a gender marker change request to the county or the State Department of Health. If you do, your application and forms may be sent to the attorney general's office.”
  7. Adult name change packetIndiana Legal Help, Form. accessed
  8. Indiana is trying to undo court-approved birth record changes for transgender peopleWFYI, News. accessed
    “Applications in process or received prior to the executive order will be submitted to the Indiana Office of the Attorney General for review.”
  9. A wide-ranging restrictive gender bill failed this legislative sessionWFYI, News. accessed
  10. List of current litigationACLU of Indiana, Organization. accessed
    “In re the Change of Gender of V.E. ... State attempted intervention in closed gender marker change case”
  11. Indiana equality profileMovement Advancement Project, Organization. accessed