Current Version
| Region | Finland |
| Issue | Right to change legal gender |
| Status | Legal, but requires surgery |
| Start Date | Aug 18, 1988 |
| End Date | Jan 1, 2003 |
| Description | The Supreme Administrative Court issued a landmark precedent in case KHO:1988-A-46, establishing the first legal pathway for gender recognition in Finland. The Court ruled that a male Personal Identity Code assigned to a person who had legally changed their first names to female was legally "erroneous" under Section 6 of the Population Register Decree. By overturning the Population Register Centre's refusal and explicitly ordering the issuance of a new female Personal Identity Code, this judgment made gender recognition administratively possible through established legal channels. Following this ruling, local registry offices began processing gender marker changes. While the practice was legally grounded in this Supreme Administrative Court decision, the lack of specific parliamentary legislation led to inconsistent administrative requirements, with some magistrates requiring extensive medicolegal evaluations while others granted the change based solely on a treating physician's diagnosis of transsexuality. |
| Sources | https://www.finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/2002/563 https://www.finlex.fi/fi/hallituksen-esitykset/2001/56#bills https://www.finlex.fi/en/case-law/supreme-administrative-court/precedents/1988/A-46 https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/grievance-formation-rights-and-remedies/finland-silence/EA38FB854F9889EB08E545EEBC32EA41 |
| Federal Law | Yes |
Revision History (2)
| Old Value (Original) | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Illegal | Legal, but requires surgery |
| Start Date | (unknown) | Aug 18, 1988 |
| Description | Until 2003, there was no legal gender recognition provided in Finland. | The Supreme Administrative Court issued a landmark precedent in case KHO:1988-A-46, establishing the first legal pathway for gender recognition in Finland. The Court ruled that a male Personal Identity Code assigned to a person who had legally changed their first names to female was legally "erroneous" under Section 6 of the Population Register Decree. By overturning the Population Register Centre's refusal and explicitly ordering the issuance of a new female Personal Identity Code, this judgment made gender recognition administratively possible through established legal channels. Following this ruling, local registry offices began processing gender marker changes. While the practice was legally grounded in this Supreme Administrative Court decision, the lack of specific parliamentary legislation led to inconsistent administrative requirements, with some magistrates requiring extensive medicolegal evaluations while others granted the change based solely on a treating physician's diagnosis of transsexuality. |
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| Sources | https://www.finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/2002/563 | https://www.finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/2002/563 https://www.finlex.fi/fi/hallituksen-esitykset/2001/56#bills https://www.finlex.fi/en/case-law/supreme-administrative-court/precedents/1988/A-46 https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/grievance-formation-rights-and-remedies/finland-silence/EA38FB854F9889EB08E545EEBC32EA41 |
Show Difference | ||
created by DaisyGeekyTrans
Helpful?
0 | Original entry | |
|---|---|
| Status | Illegal |
| Federal Law | Yes |
| Start Date | (unknown) |
| End Date | Jan 1, 2003 |
| Description | Until 2003, there was no legal gender recognition provided in Finland. |
| Sources | https://www.finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/2002/563 |