Susan's Place Transgender Resources

So has anyone (successfully) changed their name when they have a birth abroad certificate? How do you do it?

 What country you live in currently may be relevant.

There have been a few people here who have changed their name when they were born in another country than where they currently reside.

If you are a U.S. citizen, this might be a good place to start:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_825.html

Sorry, I'm a US cit. living in the US, born in Mexico.

Thanks, and I found that link with Google, but it seems rather vague on what they want, or maybe I'm making it too complicated?

It might depend on the state you're in. An original birth certificate (along with your citizenship docs and BCI report) may be enough.

I'd start with looking at your local probate courts requirements. Call the clerk with any questions (just don't ask for legal advice because they're not allowed to give any). :)

If you were born a U.S. citizen and living in the U.S. it should be no different than someone born in the country - the State Department issued certificate certifying your citizenship and birth abroad would serve the same purpose as a birth certificate issued by a state. (If you're a U.S. citizen from birth any foreign birth certificates will probably not be relevant, and if said document is not in English would probably not be usable without an official translation anyway.) The State Department's rules will govern when it comes to amending their certificates; if you want your foreign birth certificate amended you'll have to consult that country's (in your case Mexico's) authorities (once again since the U.S. does not "recognize" dual citizenship - but does allow you to have it for purposes abroad - when in the country what your foreign documents say will most likely not matter when you're on U.S. soil).

The challenge is when you seek a name change when living in a country that you're not a citizen of, since you need to make sure that both your country of citizenship and country of residence recognize it or you may have mismatched documents between your passport and visa (among other things).

Bumping this post because I'm going to need to do the same thing. I am a US citizen, living in the US, but was born in Germany. I have a German birth certificate, but not a born abroad document (I assume it's just missing). I also have an enhanced driver's license (allows me to enter Canada via auto) with my new legal name, but wrong sex. AND an expired visa with my old name and wrong sex.

I'm looking for somebody who has gone through the process of amending their born abroad certificate so I can ask them what they actually had to provide.

Quote from: MacG on February 04, 2014, 04:23:22 PM
Bumping this post because I'm going to need to do the same thing. I am a US citizen, living in the US, but was born in Germany. I have a German birth certificate, but not a born abroad document (I assume it's just missing). I also have an enhanced driver's license (allows me to enter Canada via auto) with my new legal name, but wrong sex. AND an expired visa with my old name and wrong sex.

I'm looking for somebody who has gone through the process of amending their born abroad certificate so I can ask them what they actually had to provide.

If you already had such a certificate, what it says under "For persons who are U.S. Citizens but were born outside the United States" at this link (http://www.drbecky.com/birthcert.html) would apply. Since all you have is a German birth certificate, you could try looking around to see what the qualifications to change your documents there are. Or you could try contacting the DMV from the state the license was issued to see how you could change your sex.