Name Change Project

Last updated February 10 2025

• State-issued forms of identification, such as birth certificates and driver’s licenses, are not affected by the executive order. Garden State Equality can help with your New Jersey name and gender marker change process—just scroll down on this page.
  
  REAL IDs: Applications for REAL IDs with inconsistent gender markers between state and federal documents should not be denied.
  
  If your REAL ID application is denied, report it to us immediately through this form or via email.
  
  We have confirmed that the Motor Vehicle Commission has not yet received direction on handling REAL ID applications with inconsistent gender markers on federal and state documents and will continue to process gender marker changes as normal. The process to change the gender marker on a standard-issue New Jersey license is unaffected by this situation.

The State Department has issued official guidance on its passport policy. In summary:

• If you hold a passport with an amended gender marker, including an X gender marker: Your passport remains valid. However, if you need to renew your passport while the current policy is in place, you will no longer be able to obtain a passport with the amended gender marker.
  
  
• If you have a passport application in process: If you sent out a passport application prior to the executive order and it included a change in gender marker, you will likely receive a request for more information soon. Under the current policy, the State Department will only issue passports that match an individual’s sex assigned at birth, “based on your supporting documents and…records about your previous passports.”
  
  
• If you need to renew your passport: Applications for passport renewals with amended gender markers will be met with a request for more information. This applies even if you are renewing a passport with an already changed gender marker. Under the current policy, the State Department will only issue passports that match an individual’s sex assigned at birth, “based on your supporting documents and…records about your previous passports.”
  
  You can consider applying for a passport with only a name change and no gender marker change, but this may also carry risk.
  
  
• If you need to apply for a new passport: If all the materials you are submitting as part of your new passport application have consistent M or F gender markers, you are in a lower-risk situation and may be able to get your application processed without issue. We do not recommend applying for a new passport if any materials you submit contain a gender marker different from the passport you are applying for.