Trans Resource Navigator

Driver’s license and state ID in Montana

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.
In courtFor now: M or F with an amended birth certificate

Montana MVD sex-marker changes are possible right now because a court blocked the state's 2024 policy, and the Montana Supreme Court upheld that order in April 2026. Bring an amended birth certificate or a court order showing your gender to an in-person MVD appointment. Only M and F are offered. The case is still going.

Main cost
$10.30
Apply
In person

Draft from official sources, September 24, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify

In court: Kalarchik v. State of Montana

MVD may not enforce the blocked policy while the case continues. Changes are available now.[5][6][7]

About this case

Challenges the MVD policy that made it impossible to update the sex on a license and the DPHHS birth certificate ban. Preliminary injunction December 16, 2024; affirmed 5-2 by the Montana Supreme Court on April 14, 2026, which held that transgender discrimination is sex discrimination under the Montana Constitution.

Montana First Judicial District Court (Lewis and Clark County); Montana Supreme Court. Last update 2026-04-14. Case page

In court: Berndt v. Montana Department of Justice

The ruling protects applicants from being refused a license because of gender identity, but it did not create an X marker.[8]

About this case

A nonbinary applicant was refused a license after writing "N.B." on the application. On December 4, 2025 the court ruled that gender identity discrimination violates the Montana Constitution and state laws against sex discrimination; attorney fees were awarded April 9, 2026.

Montana Fourth Judicial District Court (Missoula County). Last update 2026-04-09. Case page

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

In 2024 the Motor Vehicle Division (part of the Montana Department of Justice) stopped accepting a doctor's note and began requiring an amended birth certificate, at a time when the health department refused to amend birth certificates at all. In Kalarchik v. State, a district court blocked both policies on December 16, 2024, and the Montana Supreme Court upheld that ruling on April 14, 2026.

According to A4TE's Montana guide, the MVD currently updates the sex on a license or ID when you bring an amended birth certificate showing your gender, or a certified court order for a change of gender, to an in-person appointment. If you were born in Montana, you can get an amended birth certificate by affidavit (see the birth certificate guide), so that is usually the simplest path. Montana licenses show M or F; there is no X option.

To change your name, update Social Security first, then bring a certified copy of your name change order to the MVD.

Steps

  1. Get your supporting document first[1]

    • Born in Montana: get an amended birth certificate from Montana Vital Records using the Gender Designation Form (see the birth certificate guide).
    • Born elsewhere: get an amended birth certificate from your birth state if it allows changes, or a certified court order recognizing your change of gender. Call the MVD (406-444-3933) before your appointment to confirm what it will accept in your situation.

  2. Update Social Security if you changed your name[1][4]

    The MVD verifies your name and Social Security number with SSA, so change your name with Social Security before your MVD visit. You do not need to bring your Social Security card, but you need to know your number.

  3. Make an in-person MVD appointment[1][4][2]

    Name and sex-marker changes are done in person at a Driver Exam Station. Bring:

    • Your amended birth certificate or certified court order for change of gender.
    • A certified copy of your name change order, if you are changing your name too.
    • Proof of identity and your current license or ID.
    • Two proofs of Montana residency.
    • Payment for the replacement fee.
    Cost
    $10.30 replacement driver's license (any age); $10.30 replacement ID card

Costs and fee waivers

WhatCostNotes
Replacement driver's license (any age)[2]$10.30$36.05 if the replacement is a REAL ID. A full renewal costs more and depends on your age.
Replacement ID card[2]$10.30

More detail

RequirementsWhere you live
Where you live
You must hold or be applying for a Montana driver's license or ID card, with two proofs of Montana residency.[1][4]
After you finishWith your updated license, update your passport, bank, employer, and voter registration.

With your updated license, update your passport, bank, employer, and voter registration. If your license and passport show different markers, carry both when traveling if you can.

Tips2 tips from people who have done this
  • Because the current rules depend on a preliminary injunction, make the change as soon as you have your documents.
  • If an MVD clerk refuses a document the injunction covers, ask for a supervisor, write down the date and name, and contact the ACLU of Montana.
Laws and other guides1 law, 1 other guide

Laws and rules

  • MCA 1-1-209: Terms of wide applicability (sex definitions, SB 437, 2025)

Other trusted guides

Sources

8 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. Montana ID documents (last updated December 2025)Advocates for Trans Equality, Organization. accessed
    “An amended birth certificate displaying your preferred gender OR a certified copy of a court order for change of gender”
  2. Licensing Fees (read via Wayback Machine; live site blocks automated access)Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division, Official page. accessed
    “Replacement (Any Age) $10.30 $36.05”
  3. Replacing Your License / ID (read via Wayback Machine)Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division, Official page. accessed
  4. Required Documents for Driver Licenses / IDs (read via Wayback Machine)Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division, Official page. accessed
    “You do not need to show proof of your Social Security Number (SSN) for any transaction; however, you need to know your SSN”
  5. Kalarchik et al. v. State of Montana et al.ACLU of Montana, Organization. accessed
    “a subsequently-adopted policy and practice of the Motor Vehicle Division to no longer allow changes to the sex designations on driver's licenses”
  6. Montana Supreme Court upholds ability of transgender residents to update documentsDaily Montanan, News. accessed
  7. Montana judge blocks birth certificate, driver's license rules for transgender residentsMontana Free Press, News. accessed
  8. Berndt v. Montana Department of Justice, et al.ACLU of Montana, Organization. accessed