Obtaining Female ID in Washington State

Updated January 2011

Applying for a Legal Name Change in Washington State

Go to any District Court division in the county in which you reside and file a petition for name change. A therapist's letter is not required. Filing currently costs $150, which includes one certified copy of your name change order. Additional copies are available at any time for $5 each. I suggest getting at least half a dozen copies at the time of your hearing, if you can afford to.
The King County District Court website has a useful page providing general name change information, including sample filing documents.
When your case is scheduled for the hearing, show up in attire appropriate for your new gender. One informant wrote, "The Thurston County judge who heard my petition requested that I approach the bench, so our conversation could not be heard by other folks in the courtroom. He told me that he had considered my petition, asked me if this is what I really intended to do, and when I said that it was, my petition was granted without any further hassle." Most informants report uneventful experiences.

Applying for a Change of Gender Designation on Your Washington State Driver License

Complete instructions are available at the Washington State Department of Licensing website: www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/change.html#genderchange. Instead of providing a separate letter of recommendation, your physician or psychologist need only complete and sign the second section of the new Driver License Change of Gender Designation Request Form.