Change of gender

There are four steps:

1. arrange expert statement
2. Make an appointment with the civil registry office in your place of birth (or in The Hague)
3. Applying for a new IDMap , or passport
4. notify other authorities

You can only apply for a change of your gender on your birth certificate yourself; it is not possible to authorise someone else for this.

Make an appointment to report a change of gender on your birth certificate at the municipality where you were born. During this appointment, you will immediately specify the first name(s) you wish to use going forward. Starting at age 16, you can make this declaration without the authorisation of a parent or guardian.

No Dutch nationality

If you are not a Dutch citizen, you may submit the request only if you have a valid residence permit and have lived in the Netherlands for at least one year. If your birth certificate is not registered in the Dutch civil registry enrolled, you must file a declaration with the civil registrar of the municipality of The Hague.

• your valid identity document
• statement (not older than six months) from a designated expert of one of the following authorities:
• the Knowledge and Care Center for Gender Dysphoria at the VU Medical centre in Amsterdam
• the Gender Team at the University Medical C centre , Groningen, in Groningen
• the Gender Team at the Curium Leiden University Medical centre in Leiden

Changing your gender on your birth certificate is free. However, you should be aware that there will be costs associated with obtaining a new form of identification (passport, IDMap, driver's license).

Notifying other authorities

All agencies that have access to the Basic Registry of Persons (BRP) are automatically notified of a change in gender and, if applicable, any changes to first names. Based on this information, they will update your records themselves. This applies to:

• health insurer
• pension fund
• Social Insurance Bank
• Tax and Customs Administration
• Netherlands Vehicle Authority
• UWV

For government agencies and companies that do not have access to the BRP, you will need to update your personal information yourself. Examples include:

• bank
• insurance company
• associations and foundations
• subscriptions
• general practitioner
• dentist
• hospital
• payroll administration

Keep in mind that certain companies will ask for a copy of your new ID card or passport.

Foreign passport

A foreign birth certificate does not change when you update your details in NL in accordance with the Transgender Act. This means that the foreign passport cannot be amended here either. An exception applies to persons with Spanish nationality.

Information on how this is regulated in other countries can be requested from Transgender Europe

Being unable to update a foreign passport can cause many problems, for example with identification or when entering into contracts.