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Pennsylvania
Feb 15, 2006 at 05:37 PM
PENNSYLVANIA Statute: 35 Pa CAS 450.603 (2003)
Pennsylvania will change both name and sex, and will issue a new birth certificate with no mention of being amended. The original birth certificate is amended and “sealed” so that it is unavailable to the public.
You will need an original letter from your SRS surgeon, and an original or certified copy of the court order for your name change. The fee is $4.00, but there is no fee for military veterans.
With your materials, include your date and county of birth. “Please send the certified court order change of name as well as your incorrect birth certificate. We also need a letter from your doctor stating sex reassignment surgery has been performed and you now function in the newly assigned correct gender.”
Please note that some respondents report that Pennsylvania kept their original letter from the SRS surgeon and would not return it.
ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY:
Pennsylvania does not have litigation regarding gender reassignment. Vital Records uses administrative policies regarding how an individual can change their certificate. Vital Records requires a certified copy of a Court Order changing of name unless the individual can submit a document to verify that they are using the new name they desire on their birth certificate. The court order must be signed by the judge and affixed with the seal of the Courts. Secondly we require a statement from the physician who performed the sex reassignment surgical procedure. This statement must specify that the sex reassignment has been successfully completed and the individual is fully functioning within the newly assigned gender. If the court order name change also includes a directive to Vital Records to change the sex designation, it will not be necessary for the individual to submit a statement from the physician.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Barbara Elliott
Administrative Officer
Division of Vital Records
(724) 656-334_
Fax: (724) 656-3224
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