Kansas Law Invalidates Existing IDs for Transgender Residents, Requires Immediate Gender Assignment Compliance

By Solange Reyner | Thursday, February 26, 2026, 6:20 PM EST

A new Kansas law that went into effect Thursday invalidates driver’s licenses and birth certificates of transgender individuals. The measure affects more than 1,000 people.

Senate Bill 244 requires residents to change their gender identification to the sex assigned at birth and bans residents from changing their gender on those documents in the future.

Letters mailed by the Kansas Department of Revenue’s vehicles division state that the Legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials. This means that once the law is officially enacted, current credentials become invalid immediately, and individuals operating vehicles without valid credentials may face additional penalties.

Kansas lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the bill on February 18, 2026, enacting legislation that requires people in government buildings—including public schools and universities—to use restrooms and other multi-occupancy spaces corresponding to their sex assigned at birth. The law also directs state agencies to issue driver’s licenses and birth certificates reflecting that biological sex.

The measure, branded by supporters as a privacy and safety protection, has drawn sharp criticism from civil liberties groups and transgender advocates as discriminatory and poorly drafted. It went into effect Thursday after the secretary of state filed the paperwork, making it state law despite the governor’s objections.

“Pursuant to the new law, if the gender/sex indication on your current credential does not match your sex assigned at birth, you are directed to surrender your current credential to the Kansas Division of Vehicles,” the letters stated. “Upon surrendering the credential, you will be issued a new credential reflecting the gender identification consistent with statutory requirements.”