I. How to change your name in Kentucky (for an adult) during Covid
- You will need to complete form AOC 295, which is on the Court’s website : https://kycourts.gov/resources/legalforms/Pages/LegalFormlibrary.aspx and follow those instructions (and make sure you sign in front of a notary, as you won’t be able sign in front of the clerk, due to the restrictions on going into the Court at this point.
- You will need to complete form AOC 296. This must be typewritten, and you must have two originals.
- You should check the costs for the County you plan on filing in. If you file in Jefferson County and provide a copy of your driver’s license, you do not need to go to a Court hearing, it will just be signed off by the Judge.
- If filing for a name change, a money order should be made payable to the County Clerk to accompany the filing, made payable to “________, Clerk” – $_____ You will also want at least two attested copies (to go to places like Social Security, and those cost $__.00 each) .
- You will need a separate money order made to “______ County Clerk” for $_.00 for the recording fee.
- You can then take or mail the documents to the District Court building and there is a dropbox for filings.
II. How to change your name on your birth certificate in Kentucky
- Once you have change your name through probate, or family court, you will need to get a stamped copy from the Court (see #4 above) and fill out the form for a certified copy of the a birth certificate : https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/dehp/vsb/Forms/VS37BirthApp.pdf .
- Fill out the information, provide a cover letter asking for the name change, provide the stamped copy of the name change order from the Court above and the number of copies requested ($10 per copy).
- Send along with a check or money order made payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer to
Office of Vital Statistics
227 E Main St. 1E-A
Frankfort KY 40621
III. How to change your gender on your birth certificate in Kentucky
- For a person born in Kentucky, you will need a letter from your physician stating you have had a surgical procedure to change your gender. That letter should state that you have transitioned, not that you are transitioning.
- Send that along with the rest of the documents and instructions for changing your name on your birth certificate in Kentucky above.
IV. How to change your gender on your driver’s license in Kentucky
To get an updated driver’s license in Kentucky with the correct gender markers you need to submit one of the four following documents:
- Update birth certificate showing the correct gender;
- A court order of gender change;
- A 10 year passport showing the correct gender; or
- A letter from a surgeon stating that a gender reassignment surgery has been completed.
Once you have any of those documents, you should be able to go to have your driver’s license changed. For practical purposes, and from my job, I can tell you that if you are unable to provide numbers 1, 2 or 4, the passport is easier to get but you will still need a letter from your doctor stating that you have transitioned. As the policy in Kentucky is whichever document is more recent, is the one they will take (as in if the passport states a different gender then the birth certificate).