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Driver’s license and state ID in Texas

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.
NoCannot be changed right now

You cannot change the sex marker on a Texas driver's license or ID card. Since August 2024 DPS refuses court orders and amended birth certificates for this purpose, the Attorney General calls such orders void, and HB 229 (September 2025) defines sex in state law as biological sex. You can still change your name on the card in person with a certified court order, for $11.

Main cost
$11
Apply
In person

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

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

Until 2024, Texans could update the sex on a license or ID by bringing DPS a court order or an amended birth certificate. On August 20, 2024 DPS told its employees it would "not accept court orders or amended birth certificates issued that change the sex when it differs from documentation already on file" unless there was a clerical error, and to document anyone who asked. On March 14, 2025 the Attorney General issued Opinion KP-0489, answering a DPS request, concluding that district courts have no power to order agencies to change a person's sex on a license or birth certificate, that such orders are void, and that agencies "must immediately correct" documents changed under them. Attorney General opinions are not binding on courts, but DPS follows them. HB 229, effective September 1, 2025, adds definitions to the Code Construction Act: "sex" means biological sex, male or female, and "female" and "male" are defined by reproductive biology.

What this means today:

  • No new marker changes, whether you bring a court order, an amended Texas birth certificate, or another state's amended birth certificate.
  • First-time Texas applicants (including people moving from another state) get the marker on DPS's primary document on file, such as a birth certificate or passport, and A4TE advises caution.
  • Existing cards that were changed before August 2024: we found no confirmed reports of DPS reverting them, but KP-0489 tells agencies to correct them, and A4TE understands DPS will not update gender markers during renewals. If DPS contacts you or changes your card, contact TENT, ACLU of Texas, or Lambda Legal.
  • Name changes still work: bring a certified court order, amended birth certificate, or naturalization certificate to any office within 30 days.
  • Texas cards show only M or F. Texas has no X option.

Steps

  1. Get your court order and update Social Security first[6]

    Get a certified copy of your name change order (a name-only order is safest). Update your name with Social Security before going to DPS, since DPS checks your record against SSA.

  2. Make an appointment at a DPS driver license office[1][6]

    A name change must be done in person; you cannot do it online or by mail. Book an appointment through DPS's online scheduler, or call 1-888-368-4689 with questions.

  3. Bring your documents and pay the replacement fee[1][2]

    Bring the original or certified court order (not a photocopy, not laminated), an amended birth certificate, or a naturalization certificate showing the new name; your current card; and proof of identity and Texas residency if asked. Pay $11 for a replacement license or ID (the expiration date does not change). You will take a new photo.

    Cost
    $11 replacement driver license (name or address change); $11 replacement ID card (name or address change)

  4. Know what happens if you ask about the sex marker[3][4]

    DPS will deny the request unless you can document a clerical error, and staff were instructed to record such requests internally. Asking is not illegal, but it will not succeed and may be logged. If you are denied or questioned, contact TENT or ACLU of Texas.

Costs and fee waivers

No fee waiver is available for this step.[2]

DPS lists no general low-income waiver. Disabled veterans (60% or more) get free licenses.

WhatCostNotes
Replacement driver license (name or address change)[2]$11
Replacement ID card (name or address change)[2]$11A new ID card is $16 (age 59 and younger) or $6 (age 60 and older).

More detail

RequirementsWhere you live, timeline
Where you live
You must hold or be applying for a Texas driver's license or ID card.[1][3][7][5]
Other
Name changes must be made within 30 days, in person. The sex field can be corrected only for a documented clerical error.
How long it takes

One office visit; the new card is mailed to you afterward. Ask at the office how long delivery is currently taking.

After you finishYour license will show your new name and the sex DPS has on file.

Your license will show your new name and the sex DPS has on file. For travel, a US passport is the other main ID, but federal passport and Social Security sex fields are also frozen as of September 2026. Keep a certified copy of your name change order with you when an ID mismatch could cause problems (for example at banks or medical offices).

Tips2 tips from people who have done this
  • Do not bring an order that also changes your gender marker when you only want the name updated; advocates report DPS may reject the whole order.
  • If you already hold a Texas card with an updated marker, keep it valid and renew on time, and keep copies of the documents DPS accepted at the time.
Laws and other guides2 laws, 3 other guides

Laws and rules

Other trusted guides

Sources

7 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. How to change information on your driver license or ID cardTexas Department of Public Safety, Official page. accessed
    “If your name change is not marriage related, bring one of the following documents: Certified court order, Amended birth certificate, Certificate of Naturalization.”
  2. Driver license feesTexas Department of Public Safety, Official page. accessed
    “Replacement driver license $11 (change address or name). Replacement ID card $11.”
  3. Texas Attorney General and agencies' refusal to follow court orders to update gender markers (fact sheet, March 31, 2025)ACLU of Texas, Organization. accessed
    “The Department wrote to its employees that it will not accept court orders or amended birth certificates issued that change the sex when it differs from documentation already on file.”
  4. Opinion No. KP-0489 (March 14, 2025)Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Official page. accessed
    “The underlying proceedings are coram non judice, and the resulting orders are void.”
  5. HB 229 (89th Legislature), enrolled textTexas Legislature Online, Law. accessed
    “Sex means an individual's biological sex, either male or female.”
  6. Texas identity documents (last updated August 2025)Advocates for Trans Equality, Organization. accessed
    “On August 21, 2024, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) stopped processing requests to update gender markers on Texas driver's licenses or state IDs.”
  7. Gender marker and name changeTexas State Law Library, Official page. accessed
    “DPS in 2024 stopped accepting court orders that change the sex of an individual or combined orders that issue a name change and a gender marker change in the same document.”