Changing your gender on official documents

To change your gender designation on your birth certificate from male to female, or vice versa, you must submit application to the municipality. The application must be submitted to the municipality where you were born.

It is the municipality where you were born that will amend your birth certificate. The municipality where you were born will notify the municipality where you are living at the time  of the change. The municipality where you are living will then amend your data in the Basisregistratie Personen – BRP (Personal Records Database).

Were you born outside the Netherlands? If so, you can submit an application to change your gender designation to the municipality of The Hague.

An application to change your gender designation to gender-neutral cannot be submitted to the municipality. The municipality can only process applications to change gender designation to male or female. What happens if you wish to change your gender to a gender-neutral designation? In that case, you must apply to the district court.

• To change your gender designation, you will need a certificate from an expert. This may be a doctor, psychologist or psychotherapist. The certificate is a statement in which the designation ‘deskundige transgenders’ (transgender expert) appears. You do not need to have undergone an operation, hormone treatment or sterilisation.
• It is not currently possible for children under 16 years of age to have their gender designation changed.
• To apply to change your gender designation, you must be a Dutch citizen. Alternatively, if you are not a Dutch citizen, you must have lived in the Netherlands for at least 1 year.

Do you wish to apply to the municipality where you were born to have your gender designation changed? If so, you can also specify your new forename(s). The municipality where you were born will then put those names on your birth certificate.

Has your new gender designation been entered in the Personal Records Database (BRP)? If so, you can apply for a new passport, identity card or driving licence. You can do this with the municipality where you live. Old documents are no longer valid, and you must return them to the municipality.