Trans Resource Navigator

West Virginia

ID documents
Mixed
Care
Restrictive
Shield lawA state law that protects patients and providers of gender-affirming care from investigations, subpoenas, or extradition attempts by states that ban that care.
No

West Virginia still lets you change the sex on your driver's license and birth certificate (M or F) with a form signed by a physician, but a 2025 law (SB 456) defines sex as sex observed at birth, so confirm with each agency before applying.

More about West Virginia

Name changes require a court hearing and a newspaper notice. Adults can get hormone therapy, while all transition-related medical care for minors is banned, and a 2026 federal ruling lets Medicaid refuse to cover surgery. There is no shield law.

This state’s pages are drafts written from official sources and not yet checked by a person. What this means

Your documents, in order

Most people go in this order, because each office checks the one before it. On every document, updating your name and changing your gender marker are separate questions with separate answers.

  1. Legal name changeState court
    Name
    LimitedNewspaper notice required, court hearing required
  2. Social SecurityFederal, same in every state
    Name
    YesAfter your legal name change
    Gender marker
    NoCannot be changed right now
  3. Driver's license / state IDWest Virginia DMV
    Name
    YesAfter your legal name change
    Gender marker
    YesM or F with a letter from a doctor
  4. US passportFederal, same in every state
    Name
    YesAfter your legal name change
    Gender marker
    NoCannot be changed right now
  5. Birth certificateOnly if born in West Virginia
    Name
    YesAfter your legal name change
    Gender marker
    YesM or F with a letter from a doctor

Born somewhere other than West Virginia? Your birth certificate follows the state where you were born. Choose your birth state

Gender-affirming care

Adults
Allowed
Under 18
Banned
Adults can get hormone therapy in West Virginia, including by informed consent in Charleston and by telehealth.Find clinics, health centers, telehealth, and ways to pay

Local help

Statewide organizations

Sources for this page (8)

Sources

8 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.

  1. W. Va. Code 5-32-3 (SB 456, 2025), DefinitionsWest Virginia Legislature, Law. accessed
    “"Sex" ... means the state of being either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth.”
  2. DMV-99-RO Gender Designation FormWest Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles, Form. accessed
  3. Correct or Amend a CertificateWest Virginia Health Statistics Center, Official page. accessed
  4. W. Va. Code 30-3-20, Prohibited practiceWest Virginia Legislature, Law. accessed
  5. Anderson v. CrouchLambda Legal, Organization. accessed
  6. West Virginia Equality ProfileMovement Advancement Project, Organization. accessed
  7. ResourcesFairness West Virginia, Organization. accessed
  8. Legal Aid of West VirginiaOrganization. accessed