Changing Name, or Gender and Name, on Birth Certificate:
To change your name, or both your name and gender on your birth certificate, you must go through the following steps:
1. Obtain a court order as described in the Name Change, Gender Change, or Name and Gender pages of this guide.
2. Submit form VS-23 Amendment of Birth Record to Reflect Court Order Change of Name (name change) and/or form VS-24 Affidavit to Amend a Record (gender marker) to the California Department of Vital Records. For more information and a sample completed VS-24 form, see this web page.
Changing Gender Only on Birth Certificate (Persons Born in California):
If you were born in California, the State Department of Vital Records can issue a new birth certificate to change the gender marker only, not the name, without a court order pursuant to Health and Safety Code §103426.
To apply, you must submit a VS-24 Affidavit to Amend a Record form to the Department of Vital Records. For more information and a sample completed VS-24 form, see this web page.
NOTE: If you were born outside of California, you will need to contact that states' office of vital statistics to find the required procedures for changing a birth certificate.