Gender recognition (accessible)

Question 1

About: Gender recognition

Accepted Answer

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff what we mean by gender recognition. It also tells them:

how a customer can ask for a change to the gender on their passport
what evidence the customer must send
how to examine an application
how to deal with applications to change a child’s gender
about the Gender Recognition Act
what the Gender Recognition Panel is and how to contact them
how to deal with customers who:
- have completed the wrong gender on the application form
- have not completed the gender on a paper application form
- identify as non-binary

Contacts

If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the guidance has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidance then you can email Guidance & Quality, Operating Standards.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the guidance was published:

version 22.0
published for Home Office staff on 9 April 2024

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated to add a link to The Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2024 list of countries that legally recognises a change of gender and which will be accepted if the person chooses to apply for a gender recognition certificate in the UK.

Authorisation and consent
DAP: Change of personal details

Question 2

What we mean by gender recognition

Accepted Answer

This section tells HM Passport Office staff how a customer’s gender is assigned, why and how customers change their gender and what the passport will show.

A customer’s gender is given at birth based on the sex of the individual. However, a person may feel conflict between that gender and how they feel. As a result, a customer may take steps to transition and live using the gender they identify with. This can happen at any point in their lives.

Customers may want to get a gender recognition certificate (GRC) to legally recognise their change of gender or may ask us to change the gender shown on their passport.

Unlike the gender recognition certificate (GRC) the issue of a passport in an acquired gender does not give legal recognition of the change of gender. For passport purposes, the question is only whether the person has permanently adopted a new identity.

We show the customer’s gender on the personal details page of the passport. It will not always match the gender recorded on their birth certificate, as there is no indication in the passport of the customer’s personal circumstances.

Overseas change of gender

Overseas countries and territories may also allow a person to change their gender (see Knowledge Base for individual country information). If an overseas country legally recognises a change of gender, a person can choose to apply for a GRC, if that country is approved by the UK.

Question 3

Gender recognition: how to deal with applications

Accepted Answer

This section tells HM Passport Office staff how to deal with a customer’s application if they have asked us to change the gender on their new passport. It includes, how to deal with gender recognition cases, how to deal with gender recognition cases on the public counter, how to contact the customer and return documents to them, how to case note gender recognition cases.

When a customer applies to change the gender on their passport, we refer to the application as a Gender recognition case. These cases must be dealt with by examiners with the correct level of training.

A customer’s gender is known as an acquired gender:

before the customer receives their Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC)
if they change their gender identity permanently but do not intend to:
- undergo any medical procedure to change their sex
- get a GRC

A customer’s gender is known as an affirmed gender if we know they have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).

In this guidance only, any reference to a ‘new gender’ is either an affirmed or acquired gender.

Gender recognition: dealing with customers

You (the examiner) must:

deal with gender recognition cases sensitively and professionally
not disclose information about a person’s previous gender to a third party
adhere to this guidance to make sure HM Passport Office is compliant with the:
- Gender Recognition Act 2004
- Data Protection Act 1998
- General Data Protection Regulation 2018

Failure to follow this guidance may result in you being disciplined and prosecuted.

If you have any doubts about how to deal with a case, you must check with your manager before contacting the customer.

Gender recognition: first passport application with a GRC

HM Passport Office has a one passport per person policy. To help us apply this policy, our systems automatically check if a customer previously had a passport.

You must phone the customer (see Gender recognition: customer contact) and ask them what their original name was if they submitted a first adult passport application and both of the following apply:

they sent us their Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC)
they have not told us what their original name was (as they did not put it on the application)

If the customer tells you their original name, you must case note the application in line with current guidance.

When the application shows no gender or a different gender

Customers may apply for a passport and mistakenly select the wrong gender or no gender (on a paper application form). Others may not give a gender because they do not identify themselves as male or female (known as non-binary).

Dealing with an application when the customer made a mistake

If a customer has not selected a gender or has chosen a different gender to the one shown on their previous passport or supporting documents, and there is no evidence they have a change of gender or consider themselves to be non-binary, you must:

1. Ask the customer (by phone or in person for counter applications) to help you complete their application, by asking:

‘I can see that you have not marked a gender on your application form. Can you please tell me what your gender is?’
‘I can see that you have marked a different gender on your application form to what is shown on your previous passport. Can you please tell me if this is correct?’

2. Case note the customer’s reply and continue to process the application if the customer tells you their gender is the same as either their last British passport or (in the case of a first time application) their supporting documents.

You must refer the application to your operational team leader (OTL) if the customer tells you they do not identify as either male or female.

Gender recognition: customer identifies as non-binary

People who do not identify as male or female are known as non-binary. A customer may tell us they identify as non-binary by sending a letter or adding the information to the additional information section of the application.

His Majesty’s Passport Office cannot issue a passport to a customer unless the gender selection on the passport application is complete. Passport applications provide the customer with the option to select male or female: the customer’s selection will appear as the sex M or F on the personal details page in the passport, which is in line with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) standards.

You (the examiner) must refer an application to your OTL if the customer tells you during a phone conversation, in a covering letter or in the additional information section of the application they identify as non-binary.

You (the OTL) must:

1. Call the customer to advise them HM Passport Office cannot provide an alternative gender marking.

2. Ask the customer to tell us what their current gender (male or female) is. This will be either their gender:

they were assigned at birth
in their last British passport
that was recognised by a Gender Recognition Certificate

3. Ask the customer to call you back in a few days if they are unable to give you a response immediately.

4. Withdraw the customer’s application in line with our guidance if they do not respond or refuse to provide another gender.

You must deal with the application using this guidance if the customer asks for a different gender marker from the marker used in their previous passport or supporting documents.

Gender recognition applications made at a public counter

If you are aware an application is for a customer who has changed their gender from the one shown on their birth certificate or current passport, you must refer the case to an operational team leader (OTL).

The OTL will discreetly offer the customer the option of dealing with their application at the counter or privately, in an interview room. We offer an interview room to help comply with the legislative requirement that we must not disclose information about someone’s previous gender.

The OTL or an examiner with the appropriate level of training must mark the application for the attention of a named experienced examiner or OTL and place it in a plastic folder. The case must show:

‘for OTL/[name] examiner only’

The counter OTL or named examiner with the correct level of training must personally take the examined application to Sopra Steria Ltd for scanning and tell them to scan all supporting documentation.

Gender recognition: customer contact

You must not send written communications about a change in gender to a customer, without speaking to them first, in person or by phone, to:

give them the opportunity to discuss their application
tell them what evidence we require for their application
ask if they consent to HM Passport Office sending them written communications about their passport application
check we have the correct address and email address to prevent unintended wrongful disclosure of information

We do this because a letter could be intercepted and cause unnecessary distress or harm to them. The Gender Recognition Act 2004 also explains ‘it is an offence for a person who has acquired protected information in an official capacity to disclose the information to any other person’.

If the customer consents to HM Passport Office sending them written communication about their application, you must:

tell the customer we will confirm our requirements in:
- a letter (for applications on Application Management System (AMS))
- an email (for applications on Digital Application Processing (DAP))
send letter 219 to the customer to ask for more documents, evidence or information
make sure you send any letters or emails to the customer’s correct address

When dealing with gender recognition cases you must:

1. Phone the customer, trying at least 3 times in the same day if you did not speak to them the first time you called.

2. Send a contact letter to the customer if you were not able to reach them by phone after the third attempt. You must not include reference to a gender change using unauthorised free text phrases.

3. Add a case note to explain you:

tried to call the customer to discuss their application but there was no answer
you have sent a contact letter to the customer

When dealing with gender recognition cases on the DAP system, you must put the application on hold if you cannot contact the customer immediately.

Under no circumstances must any examiner contact a customer using unauthorised letters created on:

the Application Management System (AMS) using free text phrases
POISE

Case noting gender recognition applications

You must add case notes to each application to record:

your actions
your decisions
the customer’s change of gender
what evidence the customer sent us, to change the gender marker on their passport (for example, a gender recognition certificate or letter from a medical professional)

All case notes must:

be factual
be impartial
not draw attention to the specific customer details
record the documents the customer gave you to change their:
- gender
- name

Examples of good case notes are:

‘letter from the medical professional confirms identity change [from gender] to [insert gender]’
‘gender does not match the previous passport’
‘unable to contact customer to discuss their passport application’

Gender recognition: scanning supporting documents

Some evidence customers send us must be scanned on to the application and kept as part of a permanent record, see How to keep scans of supporting documents guidance.

Although the information on some of the supporting documents is sensitive, the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the General Data Protection Act 2018 do not stop HM Passport Office keeping a record of the information, if it is relevant to the application. This is because:

the information is kept on our internal records
we do not share internal records with third parties

When you process an application on DAP all documents are scanned and recorded on ARD (Application Receive Domain).

Documents you must scan on AMS

When you deal with a gender recognition case on the Application Management System (AMS), you must scan:

letters from medical professionals that confirm the customer’s change of gender is likely to be permanent
signed statement from anyone who identifies as a crossdresser that they use the preferred identity
letters of consent from parents or people who hold parental responsibility for the customer who has changed their gender

Documents you do not need to scan on AMS

When you deal with a gender recognition case on AMS, you do not need to scan:

gender recognition certificates
new birth certificates in the customer’s new gender

Gender recognition: returning supporting documents

You, the examiner, must return customers passports and documents using the postal service the customer has paid for. See Posting passports and documents.

Referring to Counter Fraud teams

You must refer the application to your Counter Fraud team if:

you have any concerns about the application, for example there are risk indicators
you have concerns about the evidence provided by the customer or their medical professional (for example, if a document is fraudulent)
the parents refuse to give consent to the customer’s change in gender

Question 4

Gender change: evidence needed

Accepted Answer

This section tells HM Passport Office staff what evidence they need to support a customer’s request to change the gender shown on their passport and how to check the evidence is acceptable. It also includes what to do if the customer holds a foreign passport in a different gender, if they want to revert to their previous gender and what to do if the customer is a crossdresser.

Before we can issue a passport in the changed gender, we need evidence confirming the gender change is likely to be permanent (unless the customer identifies as a crossdresser). This evidence may be a:

Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) or an interim GRC; or
new birth certificate issued in the new gender; or
letter or written statement from a medical professional and where needed:
- a statement from the customer and a referee for crossdressers
- consent from everyone who has parental responsibility or legal guardianship for anyone under the age of 18 years (or a specific issues court order)

Customers who apply to change the gender on their passport, who do not have a GRC, must submit a letter or written statement with their application, from a medical professional that confirms they use their specified name and specified gender for all purposes. You must also ask for evidence they are using this identity (gender and name) for all purposes (for example, bank statements, utility bills or payslips).

For renewal applications, you may need to ask for a referee unless you can identify the customer from their photo on the Main Index record. All other requirements for first and renewal applications remain the same.

Crossdressers

We can only issue a passport if it is established the customer is using their new identity for all purposes. You, the examiner, must not issue a passport in a name or gender a customer uses for some but not all purposes.

If the customer cannot provide medical evidence, they must make a statement confirming they permanently use the preferred identity. They must also have a referee confirm their new identity and send us evidence if they have changed their name (see Names – evidence to change a name).

You must scan the customers signed statement that confirms they use the preferred identity on the application (see gender recognition: scanning supporting documents).

Customers holding a foreign passport in another gender

When a person changing their gender (and or name) holds a foreign passport, you must make sure you follow the ‘one name for all purposes’ policy principle and the requirements to align foreign documents.

If Knowledge Base confirms the customer cannot change their name (and or gender) and it is not possible for them to align their foreign passport showing their new identity, an exception must be applied. See Names - aligning names on foreign documents (Transgender and adoption case types).

Customers reverting to their original gender

If a customer is reverting to their original gender, we must ask for evidence before we can issue a new passport, in the original gender.

If a customer wants to revert to their original gender, they must send you:

a letter from a medical professional that confirms they are reverting to their original gender, and the change is likely to be permanent
their birth certificate to confirm what their original gender is

If the customer also changes their name when they revert to their previous gender, you must deal with the change of name using the Names – change of name passport applications guidance.

Gender change evidence: letters from medical professionals

If a customer does not have a GRC we will accept a letter or written statement from a medical professional who:

confirms they know the customer enough to make a diagnosis
confirms, in their opinion, the change is likely to be permanent

They must also be either of the following:

registered and licenced to practice in the UK if they are in the UK (as their qualifications have already been checked by healthcare professional bodies)
a qualified medical professional or have experience of working in the gender field, and they:
- are in the UK or overseas and not registered with healthcare professional bodies
- can provide us with evidence of their qualifications and experience

Examples of medical professionals you can accept a letter from are:

general practitioners
gender dysphoria clinicians
gender dysphoria specialists
clinical psychologists
consultant psychologist
consultant psychiatrist
practitioner psychologist
specialist nurses

This is not a complete list and other medical professionals can be accepted. However, if you believe the letter may not be genuine, see Referring to Counter Fraud teams.

If you accept a letter from a medical professional to change a customer’s gender, you must scan the letter as a supporting document (see gender recognition: scanning supporting documents).

If the medical professional is in the UK, you must check they are registered and licensed to practice in the UK. If they are abroad, you must refer to medical professional: not registered on the GMC or HCPC.

If we need a new letter from a medical professional

If you decide you cannot accept the medical professional’s letter, you must:

Reject the letter.
Call the customer and ask them for a new letter from a medical professional who is: * registered on the GMC or HCPC * licenced to practice
Send a contact letter (if the customer did not answer their phone).
Add a case note to record your actions, decisions and outcomes.
Store (or pigeonhole) the application and wait for the customer to reply.

How to check a UK medical professional is acceptable

To check if a UK medical professional is registered and licensed, you must check the:

General Medical Council (GMC) register
Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) register

You must accept the letter the customer gave you when their medical professional is registered on the GMC or HCPC register and is licenced to practice in the UK.

You must investigate further if the medical professional has:

been suspended or is not licensed to practice in the UK
not registered with the GMC or HCPC

How to check the General Medical Council register

To check if a UK medical professional is registered on the GMC you must:

1. Go to the General Medical Council website.

2. Select search the register in the ‘check a doctors registration status’ section.

3. Add the medical professional’s name or registration number into the doctor’s name or 7 digit GMC no section.

4. Select GP register and specialist register.

5. Select search.

The General Medical Council website will return all results that match your search and will tell you the medical professional’s:

GMC reference number
full name
gender
status (whether they are licenced to practice or suspended)
year of qualification

How to check the Health and Care Professions Council register

To check if a UK medical professional is registered on the HCPC, you must:

Go to the Health and Care Professions Council website.
Add the medical professional’s surname or registration number into the surname or registration number section.
Select the medical professional’s profession from the choose profession drop down box (for example, practitioner psychologist).
Select search.

The Health and Care Professions Council website will return all results that match your search and will tell you the medical professionals:

HCPC reference number
full name
status (for example, if they are registered)
location

Medical professional: suspended, not registered or licenced

Some medical professionals are suspended, not registered or licenced to practice in the UK. This means you will have to:

reject the letter and ask for a new one, if the medical professional is suspended or not licenced to practice
contact the medical professional if they are not registered on the GMC or HCPC

Medical professional: suspended or not licensed to practice

If the medical professional is registered on the GMC or the HCPC but they are suspended or not licenced to practice, you must reject the letter and ask the customer for a new one.

Medical professional: not registered on the GMC or HCPC

Some medical professionals (for example, specialist nurses or overseas medical professionals), may not appear on the GMC or HCPC. This does not mean we cannot accept them, but you must check what qualification and experience they have.

When you send a letter, it is very important you do not disclose the customer’s details to the medical professional. To do this on the Application Management System (AMS) you must:

Select create letter.
Select other on the new letter screen (the system will clear the address section).
Change the name, address and greeting to the details of the person you are sending the letter to.
Type ‘Medical evidence to support a passport application’ in the subject line.
Select the pre-paid label button (the system will not print a return label on the letter).
Send letter 220 to the medical professional by email (or by post if you do not have their email address).
Pigeonhole the application for 2 weeks and wait for a response.

If the medical professional does not reply

If the medical professional does not reply within 2 weeks, you must send them a reminder letter using the 220 letter and a copy of the original letter you sent them. To do this, you must:

Select create letter.
Select other on the new letter screen (the system will clear the address section).
Change the name, address and greeting to the details of the person you are sending the letter to.
Type ‘Medical evidence to support a passport application’ in the subject line.
Select the pre-paid label button (the system will not print a return label on the letter).
Send letter 220 to the medical professional by email (or by post if you do not have their email address) with a copy of the original letter you sent.
Pigeonhole the application for 2 weeks and wait for a response.

If the UK medical professional does not reply to the reminder, you must reject the letter and ask for a new one.

When you get the medical professional’s reply

When you get the medical professional’s response, you must check if they have:

provided evidence of their qualification (for example, a scan or photocopy of their certificate)
told you what they specialise in (for example, gender dysphoria)

You must:

Consider the medical professional’s: * letter that confirms the customers change of gender is likely to be permanent * qualification evidence they gave you * specialist area
Decide if you are happy to accept the evidence from the medical professional.

If you do not accept the evidence provided by the medical professional, you must:

ask for a new letter from a medical professional, if you decide you cannot accept their letter
raise a guidance query if you are unsure if you can accept the evidence from the medical professional

Question 5

Change of gender: child and young adult applications

Accepted Answer

This section tells HM Passport Office staff how to deal with an application for someone under the age of 18 years who has asked for a change of gender. This section includes information about parental consent you may need to change a child or young adult’s gender on a passport.

As with an adult application, medical confirmation and change of name evidence will be needed (see Names - change of name passport applications) although it is likely to be different to the evidence for an adult.

You must deal with a change of gender application for a child or young adult (16 to 17 years old) sensitively.

HM Passport Office will apply discretion to how we deal with each individual case and there are some exceptions we can apply if a young adult cannot get consent. These exceptions only apply to young adults and do not apply to children under the age of 16.

If you have any doubts about the customer’s evidence or if an exception is acceptable (in the case of a young adult), you must ask your operational team leader (OTL) for advice.

You, the OTL, may ask for advice from the Quality and Examination Support team and the Child Protection and Safeguarding team (CPSt).

In addition to confirmation from a medical professional, you must ask for written consent from everyone with parental responsibility (or legal guardianship) if the intended passport holder has asked for a change of gender and they are under 18 years old. This may be from one or more people.

This means we need to get consent from everyone that we can. However, we may not need the consent from specific people with parental responsibility (or legal guardianship), if:

there is a court order with the application that explains we do not need their consent to change the gender on the customer’s passport
the application is for a child or young adult and there are safeguarding concerns that mean we cannot get their consent (see Consent for child and young adult applications: safeguarding concerns)
the application is for a young adult and they meet one of the consent exceptions

There are no consent exceptions we can apply for children under the age of 16. If everyone with parental responsibility does not give consent and there are no safeguarding concerns that mean they cannot get consent, the customer must get a court order. The court order must show both of the following:

we can issue a passport showing the new gender
we can issue a passport without the consent of everyone who has parental consent

If a young adult (or parent, if they are applying on behalf of a child) cannot provide consent from everyone with parental responsibility (or legal guardianship) and there are court orders in place for them that stop us from issuing a passport in the new gender, you must:

Not apply any of the young adult consent exceptions (if the application is for a young adult).
Refer the application to your local CFT and ask them to refer it to the CPSt for advice.
Follow CPSt’s advice when they return the application to you.

Sometimes a customer cannot provide consent from specific people with parental responsibility (or legal guardianship) and the reason is because of safeguarding concerns. For example, when a customer or third party tells you they may be at risk of harm if they ask for consent.

When this happens, you must:

Not apply any of the young adult consent exceptions (if the passport application is for a young adult).
Ask the customer for any evidence from the police or other organisation (such as social services) that shows they will be at risk if they:
- asked for additional consent
- made an application for a court order to show we do not need specific people’s consent
Refer the application to your local Counter Fraud team (CFT) and ask them to refer the application to CPSt) for advice.
Follow the advice given by CPSt when they return the application to you.

It may not always be possible for a young adult (16 to 17 years old) to get consent from everyone with parental responsibility.

There are exceptions that HM Passport Office will consider if the customer tells us they cannot get consent. You must ask the young adult to send us a letter to tell us why they cannot get consent.

Young adult exception: young adult is within 2 weeks of 18 birthday

Where the young adult is within 2 weeks of reaching age 18 and they cannot send consent from everyone with parental responsibility you must:

1. Phone them and tell them we will hold their application open until their 18th birthday.

2. Pigeonhole their application until their birthday.

3. Deal with the application as an adult application when they reach age 18.

Young adult exception: parents are deceased

If the young adult (16 to 17 years old) tells us their parents are deceased and:

they are in care of social services, a family member or other arrangements are in place
their carer is unable to give consent

You must ask the young adult to send us any care arrangements or court orders that are in place for them. If they cannot give these you must also consider, if appropriate:

loco parentis
consent from social services
asking for a new court order
asking for a parent’s death certificate

Young adult exception: no contact with one or both parents

If the young adult (16 to 17 years old) tells us they have no contact with one or both of their parents, you must ask them to send us:

any care arrangements or court orders that are in place for them
confirmation there are no care arrangements or court orders in place for them
an explanation of their circumstances for example, in a:
- statutory declaration from one of their parents (if they are not in contact with their other parent)
- statutory declaration from a third party (if they are not in contact with both their parents)
- a letter from social services

When you get the customer’s evidence, you must consider the reason they have no contact with one or both of their parents.

If there are safeguarding concerns, you must follow the guidance in Consent for child and young adult applications: safeguarding concerns.

If there are no safeguarding concerns and the customer is only in contact with one of their parents, you must:

1. Not apply any of the young adult consent exceptions in this guidance.

2. Refer the application to your local counter fraud team and ask them to:

send the application to CPSt
ask the CPSt what you must do

3. Follow the advice from the CPSt when they give the application back to you.

If there are no safeguarding concerns and the customer is not in contact with either of their parents, you must:

1. Tell the young adult that if we issue a passport in the new gender without consent, or a court order allowing the change, their parents can:

object to the issue of the passport
ask for a passport to be issued in the previous gender

2. Deal with their application and issue their passport in their new gender, in line with current guidance.

3. Scan any documents that we must keep as part of a permanent record.

The young adult (16 to 17 years old) is in contact with their parent(s), or person(s) with parental responsibility, but cannot get consent. For example, their parents will only give their verbal consent. You must:

1. Check the contact information for the young adult is correct.

2. Call the young adult to:

discuss their circumstances
ask them to send you a statement that explains their circumstances
tell them, if we issue a passport in the new gender without consent or a court order allowing the change, their parents can object to the issue of the passport or ask for a passport to be issued in the previous gender

3. Case note the application in line with this guidance.

Young adult exception: parents refuse to give consent

If you referred the application to CFT because the parents refuse to give consent, they will refer the case to the Child Protection and Safeguarding team (CPST) for advice. The CPST will treat the case as a parental dispute and give them advice on how to proceed.

If the parent(s), or person(s) with parental responsibility refuse to give consent, you must be aware, there may be a:

watchlist entry in place and if there is, you must refer the application to CFT who will tell you if the application can proceed
court order which stops HM Passport Office issuing a passport in the new gender

If CFT tell you the application can proceed or there are no court orders that stop HM Passport Office issuing a passport in the new gender, you must:

1. Call the young adult (16 to 17 years old) and tell them:

their application will not be successful if the parent(s) or person(s) with parental responsibility formally refuse to give consent
their application will not be successful if it does not fit any of the other exceptions
we can issue their passport and it is the same as their old passport
if they do not want to continue with the application, they must tell us in writing to withdraw it
how to make a complaint (if they ask)

2. Refer the application to CFT. CFT must add a watchlist entry for the customer until they reach age 18.

3. Decide if you must:

issue their passport in the same gender as their old passport
withdraw the application if the customer asked us to withdraw their application

Question 6

GRCs and birth certificates issued with new gender

Accepted Answer

This section tells HM Passport Office staff about, the Gender Recognition Act, Gender Recognition Certificates (GRC), interim GRC and about birth certificates issued in the new gender.

The Gender Recognition Act 2004 came into effect on 4 April 2005. The Act established a Gender Recognition Panel (GRP), who assess applications from people living in the UK, who wish to gain legal recognition of the gender in which they now live. If successful, the GRP will issue the person a Gender Recognition Certificate formally recognising and recording their acquired gender.

The GRP must be satisfied the customer has lived in the acquired gender throughout the preceding 2 years, has changed their name and intends to live in the acquired gender until death. The GRP will only accept applications from people who are 18 years and older.

Gender Recognition Certificate

If a person is successful in their application to the GRP, they will be issued with a full Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). That person’s new gender will become their acquired gender for all purposes.

If a full GRC has been provided with the application, you, the examiner, must not ask the customer for any other evidence about their change in gender. You must not ask for evidence of use of name, unless you doubt the customer is not using their name for all purposes.

The information given on a GRC is limited (see Knowledge Base).

Interim Gender Recognition Certificate

Interim GRCs are issued when a person meets the GRP requirements but cannot legally change their gender until they have ended a marriage or civil partnership.

Interim GRCs are acceptable for passport purposes as evidence the person intends to live permanently in the acquired gender identity and in the name given on the certificate.

If the customer sends an out of date interim certificate in support of a passport application, you can accept this.

Gender Recognition Panel: contact information

If you, the operational team leader or examiner, needs to contact the GRP for any questions relating to a GRC, you can contact them at:

Gender Recognition Panel
PO Box 6987
Leicester
LE1 6ZX

Tel: 0300 1234 503

Email: grp.enquiries@dca.gov.uk

Birth certificate issued in a new gender

When the GRP issues a full GRC to a person whose birth was registered in the UK, they will email a copy to the relevant birth registration office. For example:

General Register Office (GRO) in England and Wales
National Records of Scotland
GRO of Northern Ireland

The relevant office will issue a new birth certificate in the name on the GRC, showing the new gender. There will be no indication on the birth certificate that the reason for the registration is because of a change of gender.

Customers do not surrender their GRC to GRO upon re-registration. When a customer is successful, the gender recognition panel informs the GRO by emailing a copy of the GRC.

You, the examiner, must look at passport applications as a whole and only refer it to regional Counter Fraud teams, if you have doubts. For example, you might doubt a birth certificate is authentic (see birth certificate format).

The customer may send us an application to renew their old passport together with a new birth certificate as evidence of their change of identity.

If a customer has a new birth certificate in their new name and they have entered previous names on their passport application form, they do not need a change of name deed.

Birth certificate formats following a GRC

When a customer receives a GRC they be issued with a new birth certificate in their new name and gender. The new birth certificate may be a different format to the original depending on when the GRC was issued.

Birth certificate format: GRC issued after 2010

Since 2010, the holder of a GRC will receive an exact copy of their original birth register entry. The format of the birth certificate will be the same as the original birth certificate but will show the customer’s new name and new gender.

Birth certificate format: GRC issued before 2010

Before 2010, customers had options about the:

date of birth registration shown on the new certificate which could be the:
- original birth registration date
- date the re-registration took place
format of the certificate (if they were born before 1 April 1969) they could ask for the new document to be in:
- landscape style (the same as the original birth entry)
- portrait style

Customers born before 1 April 1969 were offered portrait style documents in case they had changed their birth surname. This is because landscape documents do not provide a column for a child’s surname (it was assumed, at that time, the child’s surname was the same as their parents). By offering the portrait style, the customer was able to record their new surname, recorded on the Gender Recognition Certificate, issued by the Gender Recognition Panel.

Customers were given the choice to have the registration date shown as the original registration date or as a re-registration (when the GRC was issued). The GRO recommend that customers have the re-registration date nearer to the original date if they want a landscape format birth certificate.

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