Lost my court order for name and gender change... what do I do?

[Roni]

Disclaimer: Moderators, please feel free to move this thread to a subset forum. I decided to post here because of the wider audience, and the fact that I am anxious and desperate for an answer.

Greetings everyone! Hope you are all well.

As it turns out I have misplaced my legal document from the court judge indicating my name and gender change.

The court order was actually issued over a year ago... but I have only been able to correct my driver's license since. To keep a long story short, I have spent the last 12 months in limbo due to depression, and was not able to update my birth certificate or passport. As most of you know, I will need the court order document to update the rest of my paperwork.

- Should my local court have a copy of the judge's order?
- Will any issues arise with updating my passport or birth certificate seeing as the order was issued 18 months ago? Specifically, is there a time window for when I must have changed my legal identity after an order is issued?

If it helps, I reside in California. I also do not see a therapist or endocrinologist anymore (I decided to discontinue HRT). I would hate to once again undergo the process of acquiring a therapist's and doctor's letter, which effectively will force me into HRT, just to change my legal name and gender.

Thanks everybody! All help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

[KarynMcD]

- Should my local court have a copy of the judge's order?

Check with your town/county/city clerk. If they don't have a copy, they will direct you where to go.

- Will any issues arise with updating my passport or birth certificate seeing as the order was issued 18 months ago?

They don't expire.

[Michelle_P]

Hi, Roni!

You would normally just go to the Clerk of the Court's office for the county in which the name change was done.  That's the place where all the documents are filed.  Ask for a Certified Copy of the court order.  If you have the case number that may be handy, but just the date you did the change on should be enough to let them find the original.  They'll make a copy, stamp it with the court seal, sign it, and hand it to you in exchange for a fee (maybe $20, or thereabouts in my county).

You will need three copies.  One for the birth certificate, one for the passport office, and one to keep and not lose for your own future use.  The birth certificate process keeps the court order copy, and the passport office MAY do the same.

The orders are normally good forever.  I did have to deal with one financial institution that wanted it stamped within 3 months of my request to alter account names, but they are 'special'.  Oh, so very 'special'.

The California birth certificate is pretty straightforward.  You'll need a 'kit' from the California Department of Public Health:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Gender%20Reassignment.pdf  (NEW LOCATION!  They just redid their site yesterday and Google hasn't caught up yet!)

They will need an original of their form filled out by you, and a certified copy of your court order.  A xerox of your old birth certificate can be helpful as they can use that to locate your records.

Download the ID Please book from the Transgender Law Center.  It has sample forms filled out and detailed instructions for doing the birth certificate and passport, and can save you much bureaucratic hassle.  I used this to do everything from my court name and gender change on through the official documents and my financial stuff.

https://transgenderlawcenter.org/resources/id/id-please

[Roni]

Karyn and Michelle, you ladies have been VERY helpful! I can breathe a sigh of relief now haha.

I am traveling out of the country soon for some surgery, and was worried since I have not been able to correct my passport. I am aware transgender people are legally allowed to travel with a passport in their birth name and gender. However last time I did so I was hassled and detained by the TSA.

I will head to the court I petitioned my legal change at. Thank you once again ladies!

[KarynMcD]

I am aware transgender people are legally allowed to travel with a passport in their birth name and gender.

Just remember, the name on the ticket MUST match the name on the ID you will be using.

[Roni]

Just remember, the name on the ticket MUST match the name on the ID you will be using.

Thanks for the reminder girl! Yeah this was what I had done before. Ticket and passport matched, but airport security still gave me trouble for not looking like my birth gender lol. =\ Not taking any chances this time round and just going to correct my passport.

[AlyssaJ]

OMG when I first read that title I thought you meant you lost the court hearing and that they wouldn't let you make the change.  So relieved to see what it was and that you got it resolved.   Have fun on your trip