ID Documents Center
Louisiana Name Change Laws:
To obtain a legal name change in Louisiana, an applicant must submit a petition to the court. No publication is required. Individuals who have a felony conviction may change their name once the sentence has been satisfied, with the exception that individuals who have a felony conviction for a violent crime are not permitted to change their name.
(La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 13:4751 to 13:4755)
For instructions on legal name changes for minors under 18 in Louisiana, see the National Center for Transgender Equality's Name Changes for Minors in Louisiana resource.
We’ve put together a step-by-step instruction packet for filing your legal name change. You can access that document here:
Louisiana Drivers License Policy & Procedures
In order to update the name and/or gender on a Louisiana ID, the applicant must submit:
To change the name, a court order certifying the name change.
To change the gender, a statement signed by a physician stating that the applicant has undergone a successful gender change/reassignment.
The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles addresses gender change here.
We’ve created a simple form that you can use to get your driver’s license updated with the correct gender marker. Have your physician sign the form, then bring it to the Office of Motor Vehicles. Since the state law specifically requires the signature be a physician’s, be sure to make sure that your form is not signed by a nurse, office administrator, or physician assistant.
Note: The definition of a “successful gender change” is different for each patient and physicians signing these forms should keep that in mind and prioritize the needs of the patient.
Louisiana Birth Certificate Laws
Louisiana will update the gender marker on a certificate of birth upon receipt of a court order certifying gender change. "The court shall require such proof as it deems necessary to be convinced that the petitioner was properly diagnosed as a transsexual or pseudo-hermaphrodite, that sex reassignment or corrective surgery has been properly performed upon the petitioner, and that as a result of such surgery and subsequent medical treatment the anatomical structure of the sex of the petitioner has been changed to a sex other than that which is stated on the original birth certificate of the petitioner."
Once the court order is approved a copy of the judgment for a new certificate will be sent to the state registrar of vital records at New Orleans within ten days. A new birth certificate shall be issued and the old one shall be kept under seal. La. R.S. 40:62.
After obtaining a court-ordered gender change, to apply for an updated birth certificate applicant should submit:
A certified copy of the court order certifying gender change
A copy of the original birth certificate
A copy of a driver's license or photo ID
A check or money order for applicable fees (payable to Louisiana Vital Records)
Send application to:
Louisiana Vital Records
PO Box 60630
New Orleans, LA 70160
Note: If you have a court order for gender change obtained outside of Louisiana, you will have to file to have the foreign judgment made executory by an apprpriate Louisiana court before Louisiana Vital Records will accept it. However, it’s been regularly reported to us that these are denied, and folks are forced to navigate the process within Louisiana.
U.S. Passport Policies & Procedures
Visit the National Center for Transgender Equality’s resource page on changing your name and gender marker on your U.S. passport here.