Name and Gender Changes

In what order should I change my documents? 

You can change your documents in any order, according to your needs. But, you can’t legally change your name without a court order. It’s often easiest to get your court order first, since changing your name on other records often requires a court order.

Do I need a court order to correct the gender marker on my IDs? 

No. You don’t need a court order to correct the gender marker on any forms of ID issued by Michigan or the federal government as of 2023. But, this could change, and there are other reasons why you might want to get a court order changing your gender. Some people may choose to get a court order because they want the extra documentation for security. Asking the court to issue an order changing name and gender isn't a more expensive or lengthy process than asking for only a name change. So, if you’ve already decided to ask for a court order changing name, you may decide it’s worth getting a joint legal name and gender change. However, if you’re only correcting the gender marker on your documents, it may not be worth the expense and delay to get a court order. In any event, the decision is up to you.

Can I get a gender-neutral marker?

Not all official identification documents recognize gender identities outside of the binary. You might not be able to get gender-neutral or nonbinary markers on all government documents. Michigan IDs, driver’s licenses, and birth certificates have a gender-neutral option, as do U.S. Passports. Social Security records do not have a gender-neutral designation option as of August 2023. For Tribal IDs, it depends on the tribe. Contact your tribe’s enrollment office for more information.

If I am under 18 years old, can I correct identity documents on my own behalf?

Not unless you are an emancipated minor. Legal emancipation is a process that sets a person free from some legal restrictions of a minor. If you are an emancipated minor, you might be able to correct identity documents on your own. If you are not emancipated, your parent(s) or guardian(s) will need to correct your documents on your behalf.

How can I change my minor child’s documents? 

This guide assumes that the person who is reading it is the same person who is correcting their identification documents, but all of the information presented in this guide can be used by a parent or guardian who is helping their child affirm their gender. There is a legal process for parents and guardians who are helping their minor child change their name and/or gender. As a parent or guardian, you will need to file the court paperwork. If you are a guardian, you will need to file additional forms to show the court that you are your child’s legal guardian. 

Can I keep my birth name and assigned sex at birth confidential? 

Even after correcting all of your identity documents, it can still be hard to have complete control of information about your identity. For example, someone could find out your previous legal name through a background check or a credit report, or you may be required to disclose your prior legal name in a court proceeding. The bottom line, unfortunately, is that it’s hard to ensure that your personal information will stay entirely confidential. But, it’s also possible that it will never come back up — it just depends on individual circumstances. 

What if I was born outside Michigan?

In general, states must honor other state’s court orders. So, if you were born outside of Michigan, that state should accept a Michigan court order changing name and gender when you correct your birth certificate. The same is typically true for Tribal Courts as well. However, legislation regarding transgender rights is changing rapidly. For guidance specific to your situation, you may want to contact an attorney.

What if I have changed my name before? 

If you have changed your name before, it’s a really good idea to list your previous legal name(s) in your name change petition wherever the form asks for your current legal name. You can list former legal names as “FKA” or “Formerly Known As.” This is especially important if you would like to correct your birth certificate. You may also want to list any other names/aliases you have used for official purposes that weren’t your legal name, such as a name you went by earlier in life that is on a rental lease. Vital records agencies in many states are picky about the way names are listed on court orders. They often won’t correct a birth certificate unless the name on the birth certificate matches the former legal name on the court order. If you have changed your name before, we strongly recommend that you speak with an attorney, since the process may be a little longer or more complicated.

Be sure to update your Social Security card and record with any changes to your name and gender before you change your name or gender with your tribal enrollment office. If you change your Tribal IDs before you change your Social Security card, your tribe could be fined by the Social Security Administration. 

For information about changing the gender designation on your Tribal IDs, you can reference this guide from WashingtonLawHelp (pages 15-16). 

Each tribal nation has its own processes and forms for updating your name and/or gender on their record. For your convenience, Tribe-specific information about name and gender changes is provided below.

Bay Mills Indian Community

The Bay Mills Indian Community Tribal Court has a Petition for Adult Name Change. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

Bay Mills Tribal Codes and Ordinances do not have specific provisions governing a change of name or change of gender action. 

Motor Vehicle License and Registration Ordinance, Section 10, states that, “If a person, after making application for or obtaining the registration of a vehicle . . . changes the name of the owner by operation of marriage or divorce, said person shall notify the Division [Motor Vehicle Registration Division of the Tribe] within 10 days of such change . . . in writing.” While this statute does not mention legal name changes in other circumstances, it is likely that the process is similar.

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Enrollment Department.

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

The Grand Traverse Band Tribal Court does not provide forms for a legal change of name or gender on their website. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

Statutes of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians do not have specific provisions governing a change of name or change of gender action. 

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Membership Office.

Hannahville Indian Community

The Hannahville Tribal Court does not provide forms for a legal change of name or gender on their website. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

Tribal Enrollment Ordinance, page 8, states “Upon receipt of certified documentation, the enrollment staff is authorized to update the information on the tribal roll. The following documentation is deemed adequate for such actions to be taken:

(a) Name Change: 

[1] Marriage License 

[2] Divorce decree

[3] Court order changing name”

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Enrollment Office.

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

The Keweenaw Bay Tribal Court has a Petition for Name Change. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

The Keweenaw Bay Code of Ordinances does not have specific provisions governing a change of name or change of gender action. 

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Enrollment Department.

Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians

The Lac Vieux Desert Tribal Court does not provide forms for a legal change of name or gender on their website. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Tribal Administration.

Little River Band of Ottawa Indians

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Tribal Court does not provide forms for a legal change of name or gender on their website. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Tribal Code does not have specific provisions governing a change of name or change of gender action. 

The Enrollment Department has a form to fill out after a Legal Name Change. For more information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Enrollment Department.

Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians

In 2006, Tribal Council passed WOS-2006-001 The William Raymond Kiogima and Helen Agnes Kiogima Noozwin Act. This act allows Tribal Citizens the opportunity to have multiple names and to change their name.

A citizen can notify Enrollment that they would like to have an Alias Name in their electronic and hard file. This alias name is not an official name change and no Tribal Identification card will be issued with the alias.

A citizen is also able to petition Tribal Court for a legal name change. A Petition to Change Name must be submitted to Tribal Court. Once a Petition has been granted by the Court, Enrollment will change the citizen’s name and publish the new and former name in the Odawa Trails and Odawa Register for 60 days (a minor’s name change will not be published). A new Tribal Identification card with the new name will be issued at no cost. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

For all other name changes – you must provide the Enrollment Office with a copy of the Marriage License/Divorce Decree/Name Change Order. Once documentation has been received a new Tribal Identification Card with the new name will be issued at no cost.

For more information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Enrollment Department.

Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians 

The Gun Lake Tribal Court does not provide forms for a legal change of name or gender on their website. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

Gun Lake Ordinances do not have specific provisions governing a change of name or change of gender action. 

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Tribal Administration.

Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi

The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Court does not provide forms for a legal change of name or gender on their website. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

Article VI of the Tribal Enrollment Code, Maintenance of Membership Roll, provides information about updating records.

If you have a gaming license, take note of the following provision from the Tribal Code: “Licensees shall promptly notify the Gaming Agency of any occurrence or event in their lives which constitutes a material change (e.g., arrest, filing of criminal charges, address change, name change, etc.) in any information provided in the licensee's application. The failure to promptly report within seventy-two (72) hours of occurrence such information or refusal to comply with a request by the Gaming Agency for information, evidence or testimony may be considered grounds for the suspension, restriction or revocation of a license.”

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Government Records Department.

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians 

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians Tribal Court does not provide forms for a legal change of name or gender on their website. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

Enrollment Code, Section 8 (C), states the following: 

(i) “Upon receipt of the required documentation listed below or the approval of the Enrollment Committee under Subsection 8.C.ii., the Enrollment Office staff is authorized to update the Current Roll and/or information in individual folders based on a name change . . . Except as provided in Subsection 8.C.ii, the following documentation is required for such actions to be taken:

(a) Name Change-

Certified copy of Marriage license

Certified copy of Divorce decree

Certified copy of Court order changing name

(ii) Any change to the Current Roll or information within an individual folder that is a name change . . . for which none of the above required documentation is available must be approved by the Enrollment Committee by resolution, which shall state the reason for the change without the required documentation and shall be placed in the individual’s folder. 

(iii) Citizens shall notify the Enrollment Office within sixty (60) calendar days of the Citizen’s name or address change.”

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Enrollment Office.

Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe

The Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Court does not provide forms for a legal change of name or gender on their website. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

Saginaw Chippewa Ordinances do not have specific provisions governing a change of name or change of gender action. 

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Enrollment Office.

Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

The Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Tribal Court does not provide forms for a legal change of name or gender on their website. If you need help with changing your legal name and/or gender, you may want to contact the Tribal Court.

Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Codes and Ordinances do not have specific provisions governing a change of name or change of gender action. 

For information about changing your Tribal ID and other records, contact the Enrollment Office.

For information about changing the gender designation on your Social Security Card, you can reference this guide from WashingtonLawHelp (pages 9-11).

To change your name on your Social Security card, follow the instructions provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA).

People who receive SSI/SSDI

Changing your name and/or gender marker in your SSA account will not automatically change the information on your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) account. If you have an SSI or SSDI account, you should tell the SSA to change your name and/or gender on these accounts, as well.

Changing your name on a driver’s license will not automatically correct vehicle registration information. To update your vehicle registration information, follow the instructions provided by DMV.com. 

If you have a bank lien on your car, you will likely have to correct your information with the bank before getting a corrected title. You can change the name on your vehicle registration while you wait for the title change to go through.

Contact your MDHHS County Office.

For information about changing your name and/or gender designation on your military service records, visit the National Center for Transgender Equality.

All U.S. citizens and permanent residents aged 18 to 25 who were assigned male at birth are required to register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of their 18th birthday, regardless of their gender. This information is compiled by the government to prepare for a military draft, and failure to do so is punishable by a fine and imprisonment. Many federally-funded programs, such as financial aid for higher education and federal employment, require proof of registration as a condition of application. As a result, trans people of all genders may be impacted by the registration process. 

People who were assigned female at birth are not required to register with the Selective Service, regardless of their gender. However, if you were assigned female at birth and have legally changed your gender, you may be required to show that you are exempt from registration in order to apply for federal student loans or other government aid and employment programs. To show that you are exempt, you must get a Request for Status Information Letter (SIL) form. You can get the form by contacting the Selective Service at (888) 655-1825 or by downloading the SIL request form from the Selective Service website. Fill out the “Transgender” section, attach a copy of your original birth certificate, and sign and submit the document. If your birth certificate has been changed, and you do not have the original copy, you should include documents showing that your gender and birth certificate have been legally corrected, such as your court order changing your gender. It doesn’t cost anything to get a Status Information Letter, and it will not state why you are exempt, so it won’t out you. The letter usually takes between four and six weeks to receive. 

If you were assigned male at birth, you are required to register with Selective Service, regardless of your gender. You must also inform the Selective Service of any legal name change or change in other record information (for example, a change of address) up until your 26th birthday. Notification must take place within ten days of the change. To correct your Selective Service records, use one of the following methods: 

• Fill out the Change of Information Form that is sent to you with your Registration Acknowledgement Card; 

• Fill out a Change of Information Form, called an “SSS Form 2,” (technically a change of address form) available at any U.S. Post Office, embassy, or consulate, or online on the Selective Service website; or 

• Send a letter to the Selective Service. In the letter, you should include your full name, Social Security number, Selective Service number, date of birth, current mailing address, and name. You must attach official documentation of your name change, such as your court order changing name. Correcting records generally takes four to six weeks, after which you will be mailed a new registration acknowledgement card. 

For information about Selective Service Registration requirements, go to the Conscientious Objectors page. 

Bank and credit union records 

Different banks and credit unions have different policies for correcting your name and/or gender in your records. Some banks may require a court order, while others may just ask you to present official documents that list your chosen name and/or gender identity. You should contact your bank to find out what is required to correct your name and/or gender in your records. 

As a practical matter, you may want to consider whether there is any reason to keep your birth name as an additional name on your account. For example, if you receive checks in your birth name from relatives who do not recognize your chosen name, from some kind of annual fund, or some kind of copyright or contract residuals, it could be helpful if your birth name is kept on your account as an “AKA” (also known as). Some people choose to list both their birth and chosen names on their checks for a period of time. 

Credit cards and agencies 

Each credit card provider has a different policy regarding what is required to change an individual’s name on their records. You should talk to your credit card provider to find out what is required. 

Credit reports issued by credit agencies regularly report prior and chosen names. This is because your birth and chosen names are linked by your Social Security number, which credit reporting agencies have access to. It may be possible to contact a credit agency (Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion) and explain that reports containing both names may put you in danger or violate your privacy. However, without instructing a credit agency not to include this information, they will likely continue to do so. The reason is that name usage is very valuable information for creditors and may sometimes prevent lending to individuals with “bad” credit under a different name. Credit agencies also believe that including all of a person's credit information, including prior names and addresses, helps combat identity theft. 

You may want to check the actual appearance of the reports issued by each of the credit agencies. Those reports may have different amounts of information, and it is possible that one may not list both your names. It is also possible that if you can show a credible fear of violence and harassment, you may be able to get a court order stopping the credit agencies or other information agencies from listing both of your names. You may want to check with a lawyer who has experience in this area to see if it is possible. 

Credit bureaus are likely to keep your birth name on your records for a period of time, but credit reports are not supposed to show information older than seven years. It is not necessary to change your name directly with credit bureaus. Instead, you can simply correct your name with your credit card company and other lenders, and the information will be updated automatically at the next cycle. Your full credit history will appear, and your credit score will not be affected. 

If you want to check your credit report after you have legally changed your name, federal law provides that you are entitled to one free credit report every twelve months. The best way to check your credit report for free is at www.annualcreditreport.com.

School districts, colleges, and universities have different policies regarding name and gender changes on official school records. If you are currently enrolled in grade school, a vocational program, college, or university, it is a good idea to request a correction to your school records as soon as you get your court order changing name and/or gender. 

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

If you’d like to correct your school records, you can do so under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA is a federal law that was put into place to protect the privacy of a student’s records. Under this law, students and graduates have the right to try to correct their school records if their records are “inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s rights of privacy.” If you are under 18 and want to change your school records, FERPA requires that your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) make the request. However, when you turn 18 or attend school beyond the high school level, these rights will go to you, and your parents won’t be able to request changes to your records anymore.

The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (Lambda Legal) is a great resource for information on FERPA and on how to request record changes. You can use their Transgender Advocate’s Guide to Updating and Amending School Records. 

If your school refuses to correct your educational records, they may be violating FERPA. If this happens to you, you can file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office. You are also allowed to request a formal hearing. If you request a hearing, you’ll need to provide written evidence that shows why changing your records is important and why your records are incorrect and misleading. Your school will change your records if your hearing is successful, and if your hearing isn’t successful, you are allowed to make a statement about why the hearing’s ruling was wrong. Your school will then be required to put your statement into your official records.

Although people in the U.S. should be able to correct their name and gender on most documents and records, this does not mean that their former legal information is entirely confidential. Below are a few key examples of when your former name may become available to an interested party. The bottom line is that you may not always be able to choose when, or if, to disclose your former name and sex assigned at birth. 

Job applications that ask for former names 

It is very common for job applications to ask individuals to list any other names that they’ve gone by in the past, and security clearance job applications may even require it. If you are asked about whether you have used former names and do not wish to disclose them, you may want to seek legal advice from an attorney. That said, sometimes businesses or organizations make exceptions for certain people whose safety may be put at risk if they list their former names (for example, survivors of domestic or intimate partner violence). A strong argument can be made as to why there should be safety exceptions for trans applicants, too, and so you may want to contact the business or organization you are applying to and find out what kind of exceptions they do or don’t have. The Rochester Institute of Technology provides a good resource that discusses different employment process scenarios for trans people, which you can access in their FAQs for Trans Job Seekers. 

Legal obligation to share aliases with officials 

Your legal obligation to share your alias(es) with officials, such as a judge or attorney in court, can vary. An alias is an additional name that someone often goes by that isn’t their legal name. It can also be considered a fictitious name. Therefore, your birth name shouldn’t be considered an alias. However, officials may have different opinions on what an alias is, and some may actually consider a former name to be an alias. So, if you will be testifying in court or speaking with officials, it may be a good idea to talk to an attorney first and share with them that you are trans and have a former name, if you feel safe doing so. This way, if you are asked any questions regarding an alias or former name, your attorney will be prepared to answer for you and object to questions about things that are not relevant to the proceedings.