Trans Resource Navigator

Kansas 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 Part of this page may be out of date until we review it.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: Vital Statistics (2026-10-12) · #246
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

Kansas does not change the sex on a Kansas birth certificate. A 2026 law (SB 244) declared certificates that had already been amended invalid and told the state registrar to correct those records back to sex assigned at birth. You can still ask to update the name.

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: Doe v. State of Kansas

No court order blocks SB 244 as of September 24, 2026.[4]

About this case

Challenges SB 244 under the Kansas Constitution, including restrictions on birth certificate sex markers. A temporary restraining order was denied March 10, 2026; a temporary injunction hearing was set for September 29, 2026.

District Court of Douglas County, Kansas. Last update 2026-09-24. Case page

On this page
  1. How it works
  2. Steps
  3. Requirements
  4. After you finish
  5. Laws and other guides
  6. Sources

How it works

SB 180 (2023) defined "sex" in Kansas law as biological sex at birth (K.S.A. 77-207). House Substitute for SB 244 (2026) went further: under its section 2, any birth certificate issued before July 1, 2026 that shows a sex contrary to that definition "shall be invalid", and the state registrar must correct the record. That includes certificates amended legally between 2019 and 2023.

A court order recognizing your gender will not change a Kansas birth certificate. You can still request a name amendment with a certified court order; contact KDHE's Office of Vital Statistics for the current form and fee.

This guide applies only to people born in Kansas. If you were born in another state, that state's rules control your birth certificate, even if you live in Kansas.

Steps

  1. Ask KDHE Vital Statistics to amend your name[3][2]

    Get a certified copy of your court order changing your name, then contact the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics for the current amendment application and fee. The sex field will remain as assigned at birth.

  2. If your certificate was amended before, get legal advice[1][4]

    SB 244 makes previously amended Kansas certificates invalid. Before relying on one, talk to the ACLU of Kansas or legal aid, and follow Doe v. State of Kansas.

More detail

RequirementsWhere you live
Where you live
You must have been born in Kansas. Where you live now does not matter.[1]
After you finishUse your court order, not your birth certificate, to update Social Security, your license, and your passport name.

Use your court order, not your birth certificate, to update Social Security, your license, and your passport name. If you were born elsewhere, check your birth state's guide.

Laws and other guides3 laws

Laws and rules

Sources

4 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. House Substitute for SB 244, enrolled textKansas Legislature, Law. accessed
    “Any birth certificate issued prior to July 1, 2026, that identifies the sex of the individual named on such certificate in a manner that is contrary to the definition of such term as defined in K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 77-207, and amendments thereto, shall be invalid.”
  2. K.S.A. 65-2422cKansas Legislature, Law. accessed
  3. Vital StatisticsKansas Department of Health and Environment, Official page. accessed
  4. Doe v. State of KansasACLU of Kansas, Organization. accessed