188体育

Apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate if you want your affirmed gender (sometimes called an 鈥榓cquired gender鈥�) to be legally recognised in the UK.

Having a certificate means you can:

• update your birth or adoption certificate, if it was registered in the UK
• get married or form a civil partnership in your affirmed gender
• update your marriage or civil partnership certificate, if it was registered in the UK
• have your affirmed gender on your death certificate when you die

It will not change your legal status as the father or mother of a child.

You do not need a certificate to:

• update your driving licence
• update your passport
• update your medical records, employments records or your bank account

If you鈥檙e intersex or have a variation in sexual characteristics

You may not need a Gender Recognition Certificate to correct your birth certificate. Contact the General Register Office to find out what you need to do.

What to think about before applying

Benefits and pensions

Your entitlement to some benefits and pensions may change based on your affirmed gender.

If you鈥檙e married or in a civil partnership, your partner鈥檚 entitlement to your pension if you die may also change.

To find out what might change, speak to:

• the office that manages your benefits, if you get these
• any private pension providers you have
• the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Gender Recognition Team, for questions about your State Pension

Changing your name

You cannot update the name on your certificate after it鈥檚 been issued.

If you want a new name on your certificate, you鈥檒l need to change your name before you apply.

If you do change your name afterwards, the certificate will still be valid.

If you鈥檙e currently married or in a civil partnership

When you apply for a certificate, if you want to stay married or in a civil partnership then your partner will need to sign a document to agree to that.

You can still apply even if your partner refuses to sign the document or you want to end your marriage or civil partnership. If your application is successful you鈥檒l get an 鈥榠nterim certificate鈥�.

You can only use your interim certificate to end your marriage or civil partnership.

You鈥檒l have 6 months to apply for an annulment, divorce or dissolution from when you get your interim certificate.

You can get a full certificate once you鈥檙e no longer married or in a civil partnership.

Fees

It costs 拢6 to apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate. You might be able to get help paying the fee if you get benefits or are on a low income.

If your application is unsuccessful, you cannot get a refund.

You鈥檒l usually need to pay additional costs when preparing your application, depending on what documents you need to provide.

There is also an additional charge for a new birth certificate if your application is successful.

What happens if you apply

The Gender Recognition Panel will look at your application. This panel is made up of people with legal or medical qualifications.

The panel will decide whether the application meets all the legal requirements.

The panel will usually look at your application within 22 weeks of applying. They may ask you for more information before they can make a decision.

If you need help with your application

You can contact the Gender Recognition Panel admin team.

They cannot help you update your driving licence, update your passport or change your name.

If you need more help, you can:

• find a legal adviser

If you have comments or questions about the law on gender recognition, contact the Cabinet Office.

Get help in Welsh

Contact the Welsh Language Helpline to apply in Welsh or get support with your application.

You can apply if you meet all of the following requirements:

• you鈥檙e aged 18 or over
• you鈥檝e been diagnosed with in the UK
• you鈥檝e been living in your affirmed gender for at least 2 years
• you intend to live in this gender for the rest of your life

If you鈥檝e got a Gender Recognition Certificate or something similar from an approved country or territory, you only need to meet the following requirements:

• you鈥檙e aged 18 or over
• you have a document showing your affirmed gender is legally recognised in that country or territory

If you do not have a gender dysphoria diagnosis

You might still be able to apply, but only if you meet all of the following requirements:

• you currently live in England, Wales or Scotland
• you were in a marriage or a civil partnership on 10 December 2014 and living in England or Wales, or on 15 December 2014 and living in Scotland
• you had been living in your affirmed gender for at least 6 years before those dates, and you have evidence of that
• you have had gender affirmation surgery

If this applies to you, contact the Gender Recognition Panel admin team to find out how to apply. It鈥檚 a different process to the one described in the rest of this guidance.

To find out what documents you need, you can either:

• read through the guidance on this page

You can usually just provide copies of these documents, but keep the original versions as the panel may ask to see them after you apply.

What you need to do

You鈥檒l need to do the following.

1. Download and fill in a statutory declaration. Follow the guidance to find out which declaration is right for you and who can act as a witness when you sign your declaration.

2. Get an original or certified copy of your full birth or adoption certificate. If your birth or adoption was registered in the UK, find out how to order a certificate if you do not have it available.

3. If you鈥檝e changed your name to reflect your affirmed gender, get copies of all documents that show when you鈥檝e done this. This includes enrolled or unenrolled deed polls and statutory declarations of name changes. These copies do not need to be certified.

4. If you鈥檝e got a Gender Recognition Certificate or something similar from an approved country or territory, you鈥檒l need the documents listed under 鈥業f you鈥檙e on the overseas route鈥�. Otherwise, you鈥檒l need the documents listed under 鈥業f you鈥檙e on the main route鈥�.

5. If you鈥檝e ever been married or in a civil partnership before, you鈥檒l need the documents listed under 鈥業f you鈥檝e ever been married or been in a civil partnership鈥�.

6. If any of your documents are not in English, follow the steps under 鈥業f any of your documents are not in English鈥�.

If you鈥檙e on the main route

You need both of the following:

• medical reports from the UK
• evidence that you鈥檝e lived in your affirmed gender for the last 2 years

Medical reports from the UK

You need 2 reports written by either:

• 2 different medical doctors registered in the UK
• a medical doctor and a clinical psychologist, both registered in the UK

Neither of the reports can be written by a nurse practitioner.

The reports both need to include the name, practice address and contact details of the person who wrote the report.

At least one of the two reports needs to include details of any gender affirmation treatment you鈥檝e had or plan to have, including:

• any surgical treatments
• any non-surgical treatments, such as hormone therapy
• if you鈥檝e not had any treatment and do not plan to have any, why that鈥檚 the case

The first report needs to confirm your gender dysphoria diagnosis and the clinical history this was based on, including:

• who made the diagnosis
• when the diagnosis was made
• what evidence was used to make the diagnosis

This first report needs to be written by a registered doctor or clinical psychologist who practises in the field of gender dysphoria. You can find one of these by:

• asking your GP for a referral
• contacting someone on the list of specialists in the field of gender dysphoria - this is not a complete list and it鈥檚 not always up-to-date

If your registered doctor or clinical psychologist is not on the list of specialists, ask them to include a brief summary of their experience of practising in the field of gender dysphoria.

The second report can be written by any registered doctor or clinical psychologist, including your GP, a surgeon or an endocrinologist.

There鈥檚 no required content for this second report, and it can include the same information from the first report.

The reports do not need to be specially written for your application, so long as they meet all the requirements. You may already have suitable reports in your medical records.

If you do need new reports written, you鈥檒l probably need to pay for them even if you use NHS medical practitioners.

Evidence of living in your gender for the last 2 years

You鈥檒l need copies of evidence to show that you鈥檝e been living in your affirmed gender for the last 2 years.

Each piece of evidence should contain at least one of the following that matches up with your affirmed gender:

• a name
• a title, like 鈥楳r鈥� or 鈥楳iss鈥�
• a gender marker, like 鈥榤ale鈥� or 鈥榝emale鈥�

There are no other specific requirements for this evidence, but try to find:

• evidence from different points over the 2 years, with roughly 1 piece of evidence for every 3 months
• at least one piece of evidence from the last 2 or 3 months
• evidence from a variety of different sources

The evidence can come from before you were diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Examples of what you can send in include good quality photocopies or photographs of:

• your driving licence
• your passport
• identity cards, like workplace IDs, student IDs, railcards, health insurance cards, library cards or supermarket loyalty cards
• letters from solicitors, accountants, doctors, dentists or employers
• bank statements
• payslips, P60s and P45s
• benefit letters
• tax letters and documents, including council tax
• credit reports
• confirmation letters that you鈥檙e on the electoral register
• student loan statements
• utility bills, such as internet bills
• rental agreements
• academic certificates and documents

You might be asked to send in more evidence after you submit your application.

If you鈥檙e on the overseas route

If your affirmed gender is already recognised in an approved country or territory, you need a document that proves this.

The document could be:

• something that鈥檚 equal to a Gender Recognition Certificate
• an updated birth certificate
• a court order
• an entry in a legal register

If you鈥檝e ever been married or been in a civil partnership

You鈥檒l need to have good quality photocopies or photographs of all your marriage or civil partnership certificates.

If you鈥檙e currently married or in a civil partnership

If you intend to remain married or in a civil partnership, your spouse or civil partner needs to download and fill in a statutory declaration.

Follow the guidance to find out who can act as a witness when they sign their declaration.

If you were married or in a civil partnership in the past

For each marriage or civil partnership, you need a copy of one of the following:

• a decree absolute or final order to show the marriage or civil partnership has ended
• a death certificate for your partner if their death ended the marriage or civil partnership - you can order a certificate if their death was registered in the UK

If any of your documents are not in English

You鈥檒l need to have your documents translated. The translator does not need to have any qualifications, so the translation can be done by a friend or a family member.

Get the translator to sign the translated documents and write down their translation qualifications if they have any.

You鈥檒l need to provide both the original documents and the translations.

Use the online service to apply. You can:

• provide your personal and contact details
• pay the 拢6 application fee using a debit or credit card
• submit any required documents, apart from your birth or adoption certificate which you need to send by post after you apply

Any documents you submit must be less than 10MB. You can include photocopies or clear photographs.

You can save and return to your application at any time.

After you submit your application

You鈥檒l need to send an original or certified copy of your full birth or adoption certificate by post. Do that as soon as possible.

Send the certificate to:

Include your name and return address. Your certificate will be sent back when it鈥檚 been processed.

You鈥檒l be told if you need to send in any other documents.

The panel will usually look at your application within 22 weeks of applying. They may ask you for more information before they can make a decision.

If your application is unsuccessful, you鈥檒l be told how you can appeal or apply again.

If you cannot use the online service

Contact the Gender Recognition Panel admin team, who will send you an application pack. You can then send in your application by post.

If you want to apply or get help in Welsh

Contact the Welsh Language Helpline to apply in Welsh or get support with your application.

If you lose or damage your certificate

You cannot get a replacement certificate.

Contact the Gender Recognition Panel admin team to get a photocopy or screenshot of your original certificate.