Transgender People and the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles: Name and Gender Marker Change

Prior to a transgender individual’s being able to able to change his or her name on a Connecticut driver’s license, typically a probate court must have granted a name change petition, and the name must also already be updated with the Social Security Administration.

Once those things are accomplished, you can go to a Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles branch or to a Connecticut AAA location with your current driver’s license and a completed “Change of Name or Name Correction Request” form.  You will also need “certified documentation that shows the change of name.”  The original, or certified, probate court order regarding your name change petition will normally suffice.

Though the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles does not currently offer specific information regarding change of gender marker on licenses, it is possible.  We have assisted in guiding clients successfully through the process, which involves providing proof, via a letter or letters from healthcare providers, of your true gender.  (As an aside, to date, in our and our clients’ recent experience, DMV employees have been professional and pleasant in assisting with gender marker changes.)

The Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition writes: “to change your gender on your driver’s license you must have a letter from your therapist stating that you are transitioning and will be living full-time in your true gender,” and provides a link to a 1993 letter issued by the DMV on the subject.  When assisting clients in this regard, we typically contact the Connecticut DMV and accordingly consult with our clients and, if appropriate, their treating physicians and therapists.  There is no DMV form for gender marker change, but in our experience the “Change of Name or Name Correction Request” form is typically required in this context, despite the fact that there is no obvious place on the firm to indicate one’s request to change the gender marker.