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Maryland birth certificates

Update your name
Limited
Gender markerThe sex or gender field (M, F, or X) printed on an ID document or stored in an agency's record.
YesM or F with a letter from a provider

If you were born in Maryland you can get a new birth certificate with a changed sex designation by sending Vital Records a short application with either a signed statement from a licensed health care practitioner or a court order. It costs $10 plus $10 for each certified copy. The new certificate is not marked "amended." Changing the name on it requires a court order. An X option is not confirmed.

Main cost
$10
Apply
By mail
Typical wait
about 10 weeks

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

Under Health-General § 4-211, the Maryland Department of Health must issue a new birth certificate when it receives either:

  • a statement signed under penalty of perjury by a licensed health care practitioner who has treated or evaluated you, saying you have undergone "surgical, hormonal, or other treatment appropriate for" you based on generally accepted medical standards (surgery is not required), or
  • a court order indicating your sex has changed, such as a Maryland judicial declaration of gender identity (form CC-DR-120).

The new certificate replaces the old one, is not marked "amended," and does not show that anything changed. The original is sealed. This only applies if you were born in Maryland; if you were born elsewhere, follow your birth state's rules.

Steps

  1. Get your proof, a provider statement or a court order[1][3][7]

    Option A: ask a licensed practitioner who has treated or evaluated you (your hormone prescriber, primary care doctor, NP, psychologist, or LCSW-C therapist) to fill out and sign page 3 of the packet.

    Option B: a certified court order, such as a Maryland judicial declaration of gender identity (CC-DR-120, $165, confidential). Choose this if you have no provider, or if you are also changing your name, since a name change needs a court order anyway and CC-DR-120 can do both.

  2. Fill out the application and include payment[3][4]

    Complete page 2, attach a copy of your photo ID, your proof, and (if changing your name) a certified name change order. Include a check or money order payable to "State of Maryland" for $10 plus $10 for each certified copy.

    Cost
    $10 preparing the new birth certificate; $10 certified copy of the new certificate (each)

  3. Mail it to the Division of Vital Records[3][5][6]

    Mail to: Division of Vital Records, 6764-B Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21215. Questions: 410-764-3036. The lobby is open by appointment only.

    Time
    about 10 weeks

Costs and fee waivers

No fee waiver is available for this step.[4][8]

No fee waiver is listed by Vital Records. Trans Maryland's Name Change Program can help cover document costs for trans adults who cannot afford them.

WhatCostNotes
Preparing the new birth certificate[3][4]$10
Certified copy of the new certificate (each)[3][4]$10

More detail

Forms1 form

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

Application for Change in Sex Designation on a Certificate of Live Birth (with Statement of Licensed Health Care Practitioner)Required

How to fill it out

  • Page 2, application: your current name, your name at birth, date and city/county of birth, and your parents' names as they appear on the original certificate.
  • Check that you are sending either a practitioner statement or a court order, plus a copy of your government photo ID and a $10 check or money order to "State of Maryland."
  • Check "Amend the name" only if you also send a certified court order for your name change.
  • Check "Issue a certified copy" and add $10 per copy if you want copies mailed to you (you usually do).
  • Page 3, practitioner statement: your provider fills in their license type, state, and number and signs under penalty of perjury. They do not need to describe specific treatment.

Open the form[3][2]

RequirementsWhere you live, age, timeline
Where you live
You must have been born in Maryland. Where you live now does not matter.[1][3]
Age
Adults apply for themselves. For a minor, a parent, guardian, or legal representative makes the written request.
Other
The practitioner must be one of: a physician; a psychologist; a nurse practitioner, nurse psychotherapist, or clinical nurse specialist; or a licensed certified social worker-clinical (LCSW-C). Someone licensed in another state who could qualify for the same Maryland license also counts.
How long it takes

Vital Records lists about 10 weeks for corrections, and it has warned of longer times due to demand.

After you finishYou do not need the new birth certificate to update Social Security, the MVA, or your passport name; a court order connects your documents.

You do not need the new birth certificate to update Social Security, the MVA, or your passport name; a court order connects your documents. Keep the certified copies in a safe place and use them for future applications.

Tips3 tips from people who have done this
  • Don't wait for the birth certificate before updating Social Security and the MVA. Vital Records processing is slow, and Maryland agencies do not require the documents to match.
  • If you want both a new name and a new sex on the certificate, one CC-DR-120 court order covering both is usually simplest.
  • If you want an X on your birth certificate, call Vital Records (410-764-3036) first; this guide could not confirm that X is issued.
Laws and other guides1 law, 1 pending bill, 2 other guides

Pending legislation

  • SB 626 / HB 1589 (2026), Birth Certificate Modernization Act (dead, 2026-03-22). Would have changed when the Department must issue a new birth certificate for a sex designation change and created "birth information histories." Passed the Senate (March 7, 2026) and the House with amendments (March 22, 2026), then went to a conference committee and did not pass before the session ended.[9]

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

9 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Health-General Article § 4-211Maryland General Assembly, Law. accessed
    “A new certificate of birth made under subsection (b) of this section may not be marked "amended".”
  2. Change Sex DesignationMaryland Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “If a name change is also being requested, a court order must be presented.”
  3. Fact sheet and application, new certificate of birth following sex change or diagnosis of an intersex conditionMaryland Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, Form. accessed
    “Preparation of new Certificate of Live Birth $10; Purchase of new Certificate (if requested) $10 per copy”
  4. FeesMaryland Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “Birth $10.00; Corrections (Birth and Death) $10.00”
  5. Processing timesMaryland Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “Corrections 10 weeks”
  6. Birth certificatesMaryland Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “The Division of Vital Records' lobby is open to service all customers by appointment only.”
  7. Judicial Declarations of Gender IdentityMaryland Judiciary, Official page. accessed
    “An order is not needed to update or correct your gender marker on records with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration or Maryland Division of Vital Records.”
  8. Name and Gender Change ProgramTrans Maryland, Organization. accessed
  9. SB 626 (2026), Birth Certificate Modernization ActMaryland General Assembly, Law. accessed
    “In the Senate - Conference Committee Appointed”