Trans Resource Navigator

Kentucky 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.
LimitedM or F with proof of surgery

If you were born in Kentucky, the sex on your birth certificate can be changed only with a sworn statement from a licensed physician that your sex has been changed by surgery plus a certified court order changing your name. The certificate is amended, not replaced. Changing only your name needs just the court order.

Main cost
$10, can be waived
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
  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

Kentucky's statute, KRS 213.121(5), says the birth certificate "shall be amended" when the Office of Vital Statistics receives both:

  1. a sworn statement by a licensed physician that your gender "has been changed by surgical procedure", and
  2. a certified copy of a court order changing your name.

Both are required. There is no route by affidavit alone, by a therapist or hormone-prescriber letter, or without a name change order. The statute does not say which surgery counts; in practice the Office of Vital Statistics decides whether the physician's statement is sufficient. Only male and female are recorded.

Amended certificates are marked "amended" (KRS 213.121(2)).

Name only: send a certified copy of your name change order and the office will amend the name (KRS 213.121(4)); no surgery or medical statement is needed.

This applies only to people born in Kentucky. If you were born elsewhere, your birth state's rules apply, even if you live in Kentucky.

Steps

  1. Get a court order changing your name[1]

    See the name change guide. Get at least one extra certified copy for Vital Statistics.

  2. Get a sworn statement from your surgeon or physician[1]

    The statement must be signed under oath (notarized) by a licensed physician and say that your sex has been changed by surgical procedure. Ask for your full legal name, date of birth, the physician's license number, and the date of the procedure to be included.

  3. Complete and notarize the amendment affidavit[6]

    Fill out VS-2J listing the fields to change and sign it in front of a notary.

    Form
    VS-2J

  4. Mail the packet to the Office of Vital Statistics[6][7][3]

    Send the affidavit, the physician's sworn statement, the certified name change order, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order payable to "Kentucky State Treasurer" for each certified copy you want ($10 each) to: Office of Vital Statistics, 275 East Main Street 1E-A, Frankfort, KY 40621. You can also deliver it in person, weekdays 8 am to 4:30 pm.

    Form
    VS-37
    Cost
    $10 certified copy of the amended birth certificate (each)

  5. Wait for the amended certificate[7]

    No processing time is published for amendments. Mail orders for copies take up to 30 working days. If you have not heard back in two months, call 502-564-4212.

Costs and fee waivers

Can’t afford it? You may not have to pay.[4][8]

Certified copies are free for people experiencing homelessness (including youth under 25) who are verified by a homeless services agency, school liaison, or college financial aid office, using form VS-41.

WhatCostNotes
Certified copy of the amended birth certificate (each)[3][4][8]$10Can be waivedNo separate amendment fee is published. Copies are free for people verified as homeless (form VS-41), some veterans' claims, and children in state custody.

More detail

Forms2 forms: VS-2J, VS-37

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

VS-2JAffidavit for Amendment to CertificateSometimes required: The state's general birth-amendment affidavit.

The state's general birth-amendment affidavit. Use it to list the fields to change (sex, and name if not already amended). Confirm with the Office of Vital Statistics (502-564-4212) whether they want it for a sex change, since there is no dedicated form online.

How to fill it out

  • Items 1 to 7: exactly as on your current certificate.
  • Items 15 to 19: write the field (Sex; Name), what it shows now, and the correction requested.
  • Item 20, evidence: list the physician's sworn statement and the certified court order.
  • Sign as Registrant in front of a notary. Any alteration voids the affidavit, so use a clean copy if you make a mistake.

Open VS-2J[6]

VS-37Application for a Certified Copy of Birth CertificateOptional

To order extra certified copies of the amended certificate.

Open VS-37Official Spanish version[7]

RequirementsWhere you live, age, timeline
Where you live
You must have been born in Kentucky. Where you live now does not matter.[1][2][5]
Age
Adults apply themselves. For someone under 18, a parent or legal guardian applies (901 KAR 5:070 Section 8). Kentucky's ban on gender-affirming surgery for minors (KRS 311.372) means minors generally cannot meet the surgical requirement.
Other
You need a court order changing your name, even if you do not want a new name, because the statute requires it.
How long it takes

Plan on one to three months after you have both the name change order and the physician's statement.

After you finishAn amended Kentucky birth certificate is one of the documents the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet accepts to change the sex on your license.

An amended Kentucky birth certificate is one of the documents the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet accepts to change the sex on your license. As of September 2026, Social Security and the U.S. passport will not change the sex field based on it. If you were not born in Kentucky, contact your birth state's vital records office instead.

Tips2 tips from people who have done this
  • If you only need your name updated, send just the certified name change order with VS-2J; no medical statement is needed.
  • Under 901 KAR 5:070, once an item has been amended it can be amended again only with a court order. Double-check spelling before you send.
Laws and other guides3 laws, 2 other guides

Laws and rules

  • KRS 213.121: Amendment of certificate; subsection (5) sex change with physician's statement of surgery and court-ordered name change
  • 901 KAR 5:070: Certificate of birth amended
  • 901 KAR 5:050: Fees for certified copies ($10 birth)

Other trusted guides

Sources

8 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. KRS 213.121, Amendment of certificate or reportKentucky Legislative Research Commission, Law. accessed
    “Upon receipt of a sworn statement by a licensed physician indicating that the gender of an individual born in the Commonwealth has been changed by surgical procedure and a certified copy of an order of a court of competent jurisdiction changing that individual's name, the certificate of birth of the individual shall be amended as prescribed by regulation to reflect the change.”
  2. 901 KAR 5:070, Certificate of birth amendedKentucky Legislative Research Commission, Regulation. accessed
    “Once an amendment of an item is recorded on the birth certificate, that item shall not be amended again except upon receipt of a court order from a court of competent jurisdiction.”
  3. 901 KAR 5:050, Fees for searches, certified copies of certificates and recordsKentucky Legislative Research Commission, Regulation. accessed
    “Birth: $10”
  4. KRS 213.141, Fee for certified copies; exemptionsKentucky Legislative Research Commission, Law. accessed
    “No fee or compensation shall be allowed or paid for furnishing a certificate of birth to a homeless individual ... or a homeless youth ... who is under twenty-five (25) years of age”
  5. KRS 311.372, Prohibition on treatments to a minorKentucky Legislative Research Commission, Law. accessed
  6. VS-2J, Affidavit for Amendment to Certificate (Rev. 11.24.2025)Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics, Form. accessed
    “ANY ALTERATIONS SHALL INVALIDATE THIS AFFIDAVIT”
  7. VS-37, Application for a Certified Copy of Birth Certificate (Rev. 12.20.2023)Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics, Form. accessed
    “It can take up to 30 working days to process your request from the date payment is posted.”
  8. VS-41, Affidavit Fee Exempt HomelessKentucky Office of Vital Statistics, Form. accessed