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Minnesota 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 a letter from a doctor

If you were born in Minnesota you can change the sex on your birth certificate, but you need either a letter from a licensed physician saying you have had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition, or a court order that specifically directs the change. The request is notarized and mailed to the Minnesota Department of Health with a $40 fee plus $26 for the new certificate.

Main cost
$40
Apply
By mail

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

Birth record changes are handled only by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Office of Vital Records in St. Paul, not by county offices. To change the sex, you file a Birth Record Amendment Request, list "sex" as the item to amend, and include one of:

  • Physician letter: an original letter signed by a licensed physician, using the name and date of birth on your current birth record, certifying that you have had "appropriate clinical" treatment for gender transition. Surgery is not required, but letters from nurse practitioners, physician assistants, or therapists are not listed as acceptable.
  • Court order: a certified court order that specifically directs amendment of your sex on the birth record. The easiest way to get one is to include the request in your name change application (see the name change guide).

Amended vs. replaced: with a physician letter, MDH amends your record and new certificates print a line saying "Data items other than the registrant's name or date of birth were amended [date]." If a court order directs MDH to replace the record, MDH issues a new certificate without that note and seals the original.

MDH's pages do not say whether an X marker is available; ask the Office of Vital Records if you want one.

Steps

  1. Get a physician letter or a court order[2][1][4]

    Ask a licensed physician (MD or DO) to write an original, signed letter that uses your name and date of birth as they appear on your current birth record and certifies you have had "appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition". Or get a certified court order that specifically directs MDH to amend (or replace) the sex on your birth record, usually as part of a name change.

  2. Fill out the amendment request and sign it before a notary[1][3]

    Use the English or Spanish packet (a Somali version is also available). List "sex" as the item to amend, plus your name if a court order changed it.

  3. Mail the packet with payment[3]

    Mail to Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, PO Box 64499, St. Paul, MN 55164-0499. Courier or express packages go to 625 Robert St. N, St. Paul, MN 55155 (there is no walk-in counter). Keep copies of everything.

    Cost
    $40 amendment request processing (non-refundable); $26 first certified copy of the amended birth certificate; $19 each additional certified copy ordered with the amendment

  4. Wait for the new certificate and your returned documents[3]

    MDH returns incomplete, unnotarized, or underpaid applications. Requests left unresolved for 12 months are closed and must be refiled with new fees. If you have not heard back, call 651-201-5970 or email health.vitalrecords@state.mn.us.

Costs and fee waivers

No fee waiver is available for this step.[3]

MDH does not list a fee waiver for amendments. If cost is a barrier, see the funds listed in the name change guide.

WhatCostNotes
Amendment request processing (non-refundable)[1][3]$40
First certified copy of the amended birth certificate[1][3]$26
Each additional certified copy ordered with the amendment[3]$19Optional extras are $20 for faster processing and $21 for express delivery.

More detail

Forms1 form

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

Birth Record Amendment Packet (application, instructions, supporting document list)Required

How to fill it out

  • "What does the birth record show now?": copy the name, date of birth, sex, city and county of birth, and parents exactly as they appear on your current certificate.
  • "Item to amend": write Sex and, in "Show on new certificate as", the marker you want. If a court order also changed your name, list the name as a separate item.
  • Requester: check "I am the subject of the record and 18 or older". If you have a court order, you (not a parent) must be the requester.
  • Sign in front of a notary. Unnotarized applications are returned.
  • Fees page: $40 amendment plus $26 for the first new certificate; $19 for each extra copy. Standard processing and first-class mail are free; faster processing is $20 and express delivery $21.
  • Pay by card, check, or money order payable to Minnesota Department of Health (no cash). Enclose the original physician letter or certified court order and a copy of your ID if the packet asks for it; MDH returns original documents.

Open the formOfficial Spanish version[1][3]

RequirementsWhere you live, age, timeline
Where you live
You must have been born in Minnesota. Where you live now does not matter. If you were born in another state, that state's rules apply.[1][3]
Age
Adults 18 and older must request their own amendment. For a minor, a parent named on the birth record or a legal guardian (with a certified court order naming them) requests it.
How long it takes

MDH does not publish an amendment processing time. Paying $20 for faster processing moves your request ahead of standard requests.

After you finishUse your new certificate to update records that accept a birth certificate.

Use your new certificate to update records that accept a birth certificate. As of September 2026, the Social Security Administration and the State Department will not change the sex field based on it. You do not need an updated birth certificate to change the marker on a Minnesota driver's license or ID.

Tips2 tips from people who have done this
  • If you do not have a physician, the court-order route through your name change application avoids the medical requirement and can get you a replacement record with the original sealed.
  • Order extra copies ($19 each) in the same request; ordering later costs more.
Laws and other guides1 law, 2 other guides

Laws and rules

  • Minn. Stat. § 144.218: Replacement of vital records, including by court order; the prior record becomes confidential

Other trusted guides

Sources

4 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Change a Birth Record (last updated 02/19/2026)Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “People requesting amendments for changing gender must provide either a letter from a physician certifying that they are receiving treatment for gender transition or a court order directing a change to the birth record.”
  2. Supporting Documents for AmendmentsMinnesota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, Official page. accessed
    “For changing gender: "Medical certification of appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition" in the form of an original letter signed by a licensed physician.”
  3. Birth Record Amendment Packet (rev. 07/2025)Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, Form. accessed
    “Amendment request processing $40. First amended birth certificate $26. Additional birth certificates $19 each.”
  4. Minn. Stat. § 144.218, Replacement of vital recordsMinnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, Law. accessed
    “upon the order of a court of this state, upon the request of a court of another state, or upon the filing of a recognition of parentage”