Gender Recognition

The Gender Recognition Act 2004 was passed on 1 July 2004 and came into effect on 4 April 2005. It established a Gender Recognition Panel to determine applications from people living in the UK who wish to change in law their gender.

The Gender Recognition panel website can be accessed at www.grp.gov.uk where further information on how to apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate can be obtained and the relevant application forms downloaded.

If a successful applicant’s birth or adoption registration is held by a General Register Office in the UK, a copy of their Gender Recognition Certificate will be forwarded to Gender Recognition Section of the relevant Office.

The Gender Recognition Register

The Gender Recognition Act 2004 requires the Registrar General to create an entry in the Gender Recognition Register on receipt of a Gender Recognition Certificate from the Gender Recognition Panel.

Gender Recognition Re-registration

On receipt of a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) the Gender Recognition Section or the General Register Office for Northern Ireland will send the person concerned

• a Gender Recognition Re-registration application form to apply for the re-registration of their birth and
• sample certificates to enable the applicant to choose the format their new birth /adoption registration will take ie the original format of their birth/adoption or the current format of birth/adoption registrations.
  The Samples are compiled from Gender Recognition Certificate and the original birth entry held by the Registrar General,

Advice may be obtained from voluntary groups such as Press for Change or the Gender Trust. A website www.gra-info.org.uk has been set up by the voluntary groups to answer any questions on the Gender Recognition process.

Effecting Re-registration

Once a completed application form, confirming the details to be shown on the new registration has been received an entry will be made in the Gender Recognition Register on the authority of the Registrar General and a short birth certificate issued free of charge.

Birth Certificates

There will be nothing to indicate on the birth certificates that it has been produced from the Gender Recognition Register.

Replacement Gender Recognition Certificates

Copies of your Gender Recognition Certificate may be obtained by contacting the Gender Recognition Panel enquiry help-line on 0845 355 5155.