Right to change legal gender
You can change your legal gender in 68 countries, but 34 require surgery.
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- Legal, no restrictions
- Legal, but requires medical diagnosis
- Legal, but requires surgery
- Illegal
- Varies by region or ambiguous
- Unknown or N/A
Recent Changes
- Jul 1 2025Became Legal, no restrictions in region
- Nov 1 2024Became Legal, no restrictions in region
- Jul 1 2024Became Illegal in region
- Jan 30 2024Became Illegal in region
- Dec 13 2023Became Legal, no restrictions in region
- Oct 23 2023Became Illegal in region
- Jul 19 2023Became Illegal in region
- Jul 19 2023Became Illegal in region
Right to change legal gender
Legal recognition of sex reassignment by permitting a change of legal gender on an individual's birth certificate.
Summary
Progress Over Time
Number of countries with equality for right to change legal gender over the past 61 years.
Upcoming Changes
- SwedenLegal, no restrictionsJuly 1
- GermanyLegal, no restrictionsNovember 1
- Idaho, United StatesIllegalJuly 1
2024
2023
- PakistanLegal, no restrictionsDecember 13
- Montana, United StatesIllegalOctober 23
- RussiaIllegalJuly 19
- Chechenskaya Respublika, RussiaIllegalJuly 19
- IllegalJuly 19
- Kansas, United StatesIllegalJuly 1
- Tennessee, United StatesIllegalJuly 1
- New ZealandLegal, no restrictionsJune 15
- PakistanIllegalMay 19
- FinlandLegal, no restrictionsApril 3
- BulgariaIllegalFebruary 21
- AndorraLegal, no restrictionsFebruary 17
- Hong KongLegal, no restrictionsFebruary 6
2022
- SpainLegal, no restrictionsDecember 22
- Queensland, AustraliaLegal, no restrictionsDecember 2
- CyprusLegal, no restrictionsNovember 23
- Montana, United StatesLegal, no restrictionsSeptember 19
- North Carolina, United StatesLegal, no restrictionsJune 23
- Montana, United StatesIllegalMay 23
- JapanLegal, but requires surgeryApril 1
- LithuaniaLegal, but requires medical diagnosisFebruary 2
- Oklahoma, United StatesIllegalFebruary 1
- SurinameIllegalJanuary 1
- SwitzerlandLegal, no restrictionsJanuary 1
- SlovakiaIllegalJanuary 1
Right to change legal gender by Country
Legal, no restrictions
Right to change legal gender is legal, no restrictions in 34 regions.
Legal, but requires medical diagnosis
Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires medical diagnosis in 15 regions.
- Europe (11)
- Austria 2009
- Belarus 2004
- Germany 1981
- Italy 2015
- Lithuania 2022
- Netherlands 2013
- Poland 1995
- Serbia 2019
- Slovenia 2005
- Sweden 2013
- United Kingdom 2005
- Africa (1)
- South Africa 2004
- South America (1)
- Peru 2016
Legal, but requires surgery
Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires surgery in 34 regions.
- Asia (16)
- China 2018
- India 2019
- Indonesia 1973
- Iran 1987
- Japan 2022
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan 2011
- Kyrgyzstan 2020
- Laos 2009
- Lebanon 2016
- Mongolia 2009
- Singapore 1996
- South Korea
- Syria 2004
- Tajikistan
- Vietnam 2017
- Europe (12)
- Armenia 1972
- Azerbaijan 1972
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Czech Republic
- Georgia 2008
- Kosovo 1989
- Latvia 2009
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia 2019
- Romania 1996
- Turkey 2017
Illegal
Right to change legal gender is illegal in 103 regions.
- Asia (20)
- Afghanistan
- Bahrain 2014
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Iraq
- Kuwait
- Malaysia 1965
- Maldives
- Myanmar
- North Korea
- Oman
- Philippines 2007
- Qatar 1915
- Saudi Arabia
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Turkmenistan 1991
- United Arab Emirates 2019
- Uzbekistan 1991
- Yemen
- Europe (9)
- Albania
- Bulgaria 2023
- Hungary 2020
- Liechtenstein 2016
- Monaco
- Russia 2023
- San Marino
- Slovakia 2022
- Vatican City
- North America (17)
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador 2017
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Nicaragua
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Africa (42)
- Algeria 1966
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Togo
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