Oregon

Change your name and legal sex in Oregon

The big picture: One court form can change your name, your legal sex, or both. Since July 1, 2026, any case that includes a sex change is confidential by law. Your Oregon driver license and Oregon birth certificate can change without going to court.

Last checked against official sources: November 3, 2026.

Why it matters

• A court judgment is the strongest proof of a legal change. Social Security, banks, and other states may ask for one even when Oregon offices do not.
• In Oregon you choose male, female, or nonbinary, and you swear to the facts yourself. The court form does not ask for a doctor's letter. Source: Oregon court forms packet, July 2026

Do you need court?

Court steps for adults

This is the same process for a name change, a legal sex change, or both. You can do it without a lawyer. Source: Oregon court forms packet, July 2026

1. Step 1 Get the forms

   Done with step 1: Get the forms

   Pick one:

   • Oregon Guide & File (free online interview) (official site): free questions online that fill in the forms for you. Answers must be in English. Source: Oregon Guide & File
   • Oregon adult name and sex change forms (PDF) (official site): print and fill in by hand. It has a petition and a judgment form.

   All of Oregon's name and sex change forms, including the ones for minors, are on the Oregon court name and sex change forms page (official site).

2. Step 2 Fill out the petition and judgment

   Done with step 2: Fill out the petition and judgment
   • Check name, legal sex, or both. For sex, choose male, female, or nonbinary.
   • For a sex change, check the treatment box. It reads: "I have undergone surgical, hormonal, or other treatment appropriate to me for the purpose of affirming my gender identity." The law leaves what counts as appropriate to you. Source: ORS chapter 33
   • Answer the "public interest" questions. The form asks about child support you owe, protective or restraining orders against you, probation or parole, and sex offender registration. The judge uses your answers to decide whether the change fits the public interest. A yes does not automatically mean the judge will say no. Our reading
   • List names you have used before.
   • Sign it. You sign under penalty of perjury. The form has no notary section.

3. Step 3 File it at a circuit court

   Done with step 3: File it at a circuit court
   • Name only: file in the circuit court for the county where you live.
   • Sex, or name and sex together: file in any Oregon circuit court.
   • Pay $124, or ask the court to waive or defer the fee. Oregon fee waiver and deferral forms (official site).

   Find your Oregon circuit court (official site). Write the county name at the top of every form.

4. Step 4 Wait for the judge

   Done with step 4: Wait for the judge

   You usually do not go to court. You only go if the court tells you to or sends you a hearing notice. Source: Oregon court forms packet, July 2026

5. Step 5 Get your judgment and certified copies

   Done with step 5: Get your judgment and certified copies

   The change is official once the judge's judgment is entered. The court mails you a Notice of Entry of Judgment. Call the court to get copies of the judgment.

   Offices usually want a certified copy. Each one costs $5 per certified copy, plus 25 cents a page for paper copies. Source: Oregon court fee schedule, 2026

6. Step 6 Update your records yourself

   Done with step 6: Update your records yourself

   The court does not send your judgment to anyone. You take it to each office. Start with Social Security if your name changed, then the DMV. Source: Oregon court forms packet, July 2026

   Use the after-court checklist.

What it costs

• Court filing fee: $124 for a name change, a sex change, or both in one petition. Source: Oregon court fee schedule, 2026
• Can't pay? Apply to waive or defer the fee. It costs no fee to apply. Oregon fee waiver and deferral forms (official site).
• Certified copies: $5 per certified copy, plus 25 cents a page for paper copies.
• Oregon birth certificate: $35 to change it, plus $25 per certificate ($30 for a full image certificate for births from 1903 to 2007).
• Driver license or ID: the usual renewal or replacement fee. Source: Oregon DMV

Who can see your case Changed in 2026

New in 2026: sex change cases are confidential

For cases filed on or after July 1, 2026, a case asking for a legal change of sex is confidential. That includes cases that change name and sex together. Source: 2026 Oregon Laws ch. 52

• Who can see it: you and your lawyer, the court, someone a judge allows for good cause, and people who must get notice in a minor's name change.
• Filed before July 1, 2026? You can ask the court to make your case confidential.
• Want it public? You can ask the court to make the case, or parts of it, public.

Name-only cases are still public. A name change filed with a sex change is confidential. A name change filed alone is not. Source: 2026 Oregon Laws ch. 52

If you are a certified participant in Oregon's Address Confidentiality Program, you can ask the court to seal a name-only case. The court must seal it unless it finds good cause not to. The form has a box for this. Source: ORS chapter 33

Oregon birth certificate

This is for people born in Oregon. There are two ways to change it.

Way 1: a notarized form, no court

• Use form OHA 2673: Form OHA 2673 in English (PDF) (official site) or Form OHAS 2673 in Spanish (PDF) (official site).
• Change your name, your sex, or both. Sex can be M, F, or X.
• Each one can be changed this way only once. Later changes need a court order. Source: Oregon Vital Records, gender identity page
• Fill it in exactly as your current birth certificate reads. Sign it only in front of a notary.
• Include a copy of your photo ID. If your ID name does not match your birth certificate, include proof of how your name changed.
• Pay $35 plus $25 per certificate ($30 for a full image certificate for births from 1903 to 2007). Check or money order to "OHA/Vital Records." Faster processing is $30 extra.
• Mail it, or use the drop box at 800 NE Oregon Street, Portland, OR 97232 (drop box; no in-person help). Mailing address: Oregon Vital Records, Amendments Unit, PO Box 14050, Portland, OR 97293 Copy

Way 2: use your court judgment

• Send a certified copy of your judgment and the $35 fee. Oregon accepts court orders from other states too. Source: Oregon Vital Records, gender identity page
• A court-ordered name change usually adds a footnote that shows your old name. If the court sealed the order, you can ask for a new certificate without that footnote. Source: Oregon Vital Records, court order page

Driver license or ID

• Choose M, F, or X. On Oregon cards, X means "not specified." This works for standard and REAL ID cards. Source: Oregon DMV
• No proof of gender needed. Go in person, by appointment or walk-in, and bring your current card.
• Pay the renewal or replacement fee.
• Changing your name too? Change it with Social Security first. The DMV checks your name with Social Security.

Changes for someone under 18

• Who files: a parent, legal guardian, or legal representative, using the minor forms. Oregon name and sex change forms for a minor (PDF) (official site). Source: Oregon court forms packet, July 2026
• Where: a minor's name change goes to the county where the child lives. A sex change can go to any circuit court.
• Notice: for a name change, the court requires written notice to the child's parents and legal guardians. A parent may not need notice if both are true: the child has not lived with that parent, and that parent has not paid or tried to pay support. Source: ORS chapter 33
• Birth certificate: a parent or legal guardian can use the OHA 2673 form for a child born in Oregon. Source: Oregon Vital Records, gender identity page

Under 18 and your parents will not help? Talk with a lawyer. Oregon law lets a judge meet with a minor who applies for a name change, without parents in the room. A lawyer can tell you whether that path fits you. Source: ORS chapter 33 Our reading

Good questions

Do I need a doctor's letter or proof of surgery?

The court form does not ask for medical records. You check a box swearing that you have had treatment that is appropriate for you. The law says "surgical, hormonal or other treatment," so surgery is not required. Source: ORS chapter 33 Source: Oregon court forms packet, July 2026

I don't live in Oregon. Can I file here?

For a name change, the law says to file in the county where you live, so you need to live in Oregon. Source: ORS chapter 33

For a legal sex change, the law says "any circuit court in this state" may hear it. The part we read does not mention where you live. We have not found an official answer for people who live in another state. Talk with a lawyer before you rely on this. Our reading

What will the judge decide?

Oregon law says the court "shall" grant a name change unless it finds the change "is not consistent with the public interest." A sex change follows the same rule. Source: ORS chapter 33

I filed before July 1, 2026. Is my old case public?

It may be. The 2026 law applies to cases filed on or after July 1, 2026. For earlier sex change cases, you can file a motion asking the court to make the case confidential. Source: 2026 Oregon Laws ch. 52

Will an Oregon judgment change my birth certificate from another state?

Not by itself. Each state's vital records office has its own rules. Some accept an out-of-state court order and some do not. Find your birth state's office with CDC: find your birth state's vital records office (official site).

Get help in Oregon

• Oregon courts self-help (official site): court staff can explain the process but cannot give legal advice.
• Oregon State Bar referral service, to find a lawyer. Source: Oregon court forms packet, July 2026 503-684-3763 or 800-452-7636 Copy
• Oregon Law Help (outside site): free legal information from Oregon legal aid programs.
• More free and low-cost help

Sources for this page

We read each of these on the date shown. See every source and what each label means.

1. Name and Sex Change Packet (Adult), Oregon Judicial Department (Forms dated July 2026). Checked November 3, 2026.
2. Change your name on your Social Security record, U.S. Social Security Administration (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
3. Change Your Gender Designation, Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
4. Change Birth Record to Support Gender Identity, Oregon Health Authority, Vital Records (Live page; form OHA 2673 rev. 03/26). Checked November 3, 2026.
5. Where to Write for Vital Records, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics (Last reviewed August 15, 2022). Checked November 3, 2026.
6. Guide & File: free online court form interviews, Oregon Judicial Department (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
7. Name and Sex Change forms, Oregon Judicial Department (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
8. ORS chapter 33 (2025 edition): sections 33.410, 33.420, 33.460, Oregon State Legislature (2025 edition). Checked November 3, 2026.
9. Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026, Oregon Judicial Department (Effective January 1, 2026). Checked November 3, 2026.
10. Fee waiver and deferral forms, Oregon Judicial Department (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
11. Oregon circuit court locations, Oregon Judicial Department (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
12. Oregon Laws 2026, chapter 52 (House Bill 4088), Oregon State Legislature (Effective March 31, 2026; sections 11 and 12 operative July 1, 2026). Checked November 3, 2026.
13. Application to Change the Name and/or Sex on a Record of Live Birth to Support Gender Identity (OHA 2673), Oregon Health Authority, Vital Records (Linked from the OHA page). Checked November 3, 2026.
14. Solicitud OHAS 2673 (Spanish), Oregon Health Authority, Vital Records (Linked from the OHA page). Checked November 3, 2026.
15. Change a Birth Record (with a court order), Oregon Health Authority, Vital Records (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
16. Name/Sex Change Packet (Minor), Oregon Judicial Department (Current packet on the OJD site). Checked November 3, 2026.
17. Oregon courts self-help, Oregon Judicial Department (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
18. Oregon Law Help, Oregon legal aid programs (Live site). Checked November 3, 2026.