South Carolina 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 court order
If you were born in South Carolina, you can change the sex on your birth certificate only with a court order. Send the certified order to DPH Vital Records with an application; the cost is $15 plus $12 for the search and first copy. Only M or F is available. Your name can be changed the same way, with a name change order.
- Main cost
- $15
- Apply
- By mail or in person
- Typical wait
- 2 to 4 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
How it works
The S.C. Department of Public Health (DPH) Vital Records office amends birth certificates for people born in South Carolina. For the sex field, DPH requires "an order from a court of competent jurisdiction." There is no affidavit-only or doctor's-letter route.
Most people get that order from the family court at the same time as their name change (see the name change guide). The Harriet Hancock Center reports that courts want a notarized medical affidavit stating you have made a permanent change; surgery is not specifically required. If you live in another state now, a court in your state of residence may be able to issue the order.
The amended certificate is the same computer-generated long form everyone gets; DPH notes each amended field and the date at the bottom of the certification.
Steps
Petition the family court (see the name change guide). Ask for the gender marker change in the same petition as your name change and bring a notarized medical affidavit. Get a certified copy of the signed order from the clerk.
Fill out the birth application[1]
Complete form D-2595 and write "amend a certificate by court order" as the purpose. If you applied for a certificate within the past year, return all the old certificates with the order.
- Form
- D-2595
By mail: S.C. Department of Public Health, Vital Records Section, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171. Send the application, certified order, copy of your photo ID, and a money order or cashier's check for $27 ($15 amendment + $12 search with one certified copy), plus $3 for each extra copy.
In person: any Vital Records office, including the state office at 2600 Bull St., Columbia (803-898-3630). In-person service carries the $17 expedited search fee instead of $12. Since November 17, 2025, amendments are not done same-day.
Wait for the amended certificate[1]
DPH says court-ordered amendments can take up to 2 weeks for legal review once received; mail requests take about 4 weeks overall. If you hear nothing within 30 days, email vrrequeststatus@dph.sc.gov or call 803-898-3630.
- Time
- 2 to 4 weeks
Costs and fee waivers
More detail
Forms1 form: D-2595
Open a form for tips on filling it out.
D-2595Vital Records Birth ApplicationRequired
How to fill it out
- Fill in the birth information exactly as it appears on your current certificate (name at birth, date and county of birth, parents' names).
- In "For what purpose are you requesting this certificate?", write amend a certificate by court order.
- Include a copy of a valid government, school, or employer photo ID; applications without ID are rejected.
- Attach the certified court order and payment. By mail, use a money order or cashier's check payable to S.C. DPH.
RequirementsWhere you live, age, timeline
- Where you live
- You must have been born in South Carolina. Where you live now does not matter. If you were born elsewhere, follow your birth state's rules; many are easier than South Carolina's.[1][4]
- Age
- Adults request their own record. For a minor, a parent or guardian applies with a court order from the family court's minor process.
- How long it takes
Up to about 4 weeks after DPH receives your request, once you have the court order.
After you finishTake the amended certificate and your court order to Social Security (name only; the sex field currently cannot be changed there) and then…
Take the amended certificate and your court order to Social Security (name only; the sex field currently cannot be changed there) and then to the SCDMV to update your license. Keep a few certified copies.
Tips2 tips from people who have done this
- If you already have an amended South Carolina certificate, it stays valid; no law has voided earlier changes.
- Vital Records offices are busiest on Mondays, Fridays, and at lunch; Tuesday to Thursday from 9 to 11 am is quietest.
Laws and other guides1 law, 1 other guide
Laws and rules
- S.C. Code Ann. § 44-63-150: Corrections and amendments to birth and death certificates by the state registrar
Other trusted guides
- Advocates for Trans Equality, South Carolina identity documents. No last-updated date shown; still refers to DHEC, which no longer runs Vital Records.
Sources
4 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
- Birth Certificates (updated Sept. 14, 2026)
“The sex listed on a birth certificate may only be changed by an order from a court of competent jurisdiction.”
- Fees for Vital Records
“Special Filing Fee - $15 per Record. We charge this special filing fee when a certificate is amended due to: ... Court order”
- Vital Records Forms
- The Legal Name & Gender Marker Change Program
“In SC, you must get an order from a Family Court Judge to change your legal name and gender marker on your birth certificate and other ID's.”