Driver’s license and state ID in Ohio
- 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 an amended birth certificate
Since August 2026 the Ohio BMV no longer accepts its Declaration of Gender Change form (Form 2369). It now puts on your license or ID the sex shown on your birth certificate (or, per the BMV's statement, your passport), so you can change the marker only after getting an amended birth certificate. No X option. Name changes work as before.
- Main cost
- $29, can be waived
- Apply
- In person
Draft from official sources, September 24, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify
On this page
How it works
For about 17 years the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles let you change the sex on your license or state ID with a Declaration of Gender Change (BMV Form 2369) signed by a physician, psychologist, or therapist. In August 2026 the BMV removed the form, saying it "is not compatible with Ohio Revised Code Sec. 9.05," the 2025 budget provision (HB 96) stating that Ohio recognizes two sexes that "are not changeable."
What works now: the BMV says it will record the sex stated on your birth certificate or passport. In practice that means:
- If you were born in Ohio, get a probate court order correcting your birth record (available in some counties only; see the Birth certificate guide), then order the new certificate from the Ohio Department of Health and bring it to the BMV.
- US passports issued since early 2025 show sex at birth, so a new passport will not help. Whether an older passport with a changed marker, or an amended birth certificate from another state, is accepted has not been confirmed.
Ohio has never offered an X marker on licenses or ID cards.
Changing your name is unaffected: bring a certified copy of your court order and your current card to any deputy registrar license agency.
Steps
Update Social Security first and wait a day or two. Then go in person to any deputy registrar license agency with your current license or ID and a certified copy of your name change judgment entry, and ask for a duplicate with the new name. You can get in line online first.
The BMV no longer accepts Form 2369 or a provider letter. If you were born in Ohio, see the Birth certificate guide: you need a probate court order correcting your birth record, then a certified copy of the new certificate from the Ohio Department of Health. Legal clinics at Equality Ohio and TransOhio can help you choose which county to file in.
Take the certified amended birth certificate and your current card to a deputy registrar and ask for a duplicate with the corrected sex. Call the BMV at 614-752-7500 before you go if you were born outside Ohio or want to use a passport, because the BMV has not published written rules for those cases.
Costs and fee waivers
Can’t afford it? You may not have to pay.[5]
There is no waiver for driver's licenses. State ID cards are free for residents 17 and older who do not hold a license (you can surrender a license for a free ID).
More detail
RequirementsWhere you live, age, timeline
- Where you live
- You must be an Ohio resident with, or applying for, an Ohio license or state ID.[5][4]
- Age
- Any age for ID cards; ID cards are free for residents 17 and older who do not hold a driver's license.
- How long it takes
The name change takes one visit. A marker change depends on how long the birth certificate correction takes, usually 2 to 4 months.
After you finishThe BMV has not said publicly whether licenses already changed with Form 2369 will be reversed.
The BMV has not said publicly whether licenses already changed with Form 2369 will be reversed. They stay valid until they expire, but at renewal or when you get a duplicate the BMV may print the sex on your birth certificate. Keep a copy of any BMV approval letter you received. If a clerk refuses a name-only update or asks you about your sex marker, contact Equality Ohio's legal clinic.
Tips2 tips from people who have done this
- If your license already shows the correct marker, think carefully before getting a duplicate or renewing early; ask a legal clinic first.
- Name changes and sex marker changes are separate. You can still update your name any time.
Laws and other guides1 law, 3 other guides
Laws and rules
- Ohio Rev. Code § 9.05 (HB 96, effective September 30, 2025): State policy recognizing two sexes, male and female, that are not changeable; cited by the BMV for withdrawing Form 2369
Other trusted guides
- The Buckeye Flame, Ohio BMV abruptly creates new obstacle to change a sex marker (Aug 19, 2026)
- Equality Ohio, Trans Know Your Rights
- Advocates for Trans Equality, Ohio identity documents. Out of date; still describes the withdrawn Form 2369 process.
Sources
6 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
- Ohio BMV Changes Policy on Gender Markers
“The BMV has determined that BMV Form 2369 is not compatible with Ohio Revised Code Sec. 9.05 ... [and will] record the sex that is stated on an individual's birth certificate or passport.”
- Ohio BMV abruptly creates new obstacle to change a sex marker on driver's licenses, IDs
“The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles now requires an amended birth certificate from the Ohio Department of Health to change sex markers on driver's licenses and ID cards.”
- Ohio BMV disqualifies gender change form
- Fees
“Duplicate Operator: $29.00. State Identification Card duplicate: $12.00.”
- Identification Cards
- Reprint/Duplicate
“A duplicate is obtained when your DL/ID is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, and/or if changes are needed to the information on your card (address, name, etc.).”