Right to change legal gender
You can change your legal gender in 62 countries, but 30 require surgery.
DATE
Right to change legal gender
Legal recognition of a change in gender by permitting a change on an individual's legal documentation.
Summary
Timeline of right to change legal gender
Number of countries to allow changing legal gender over the past 35 years.
Recent Changes
2026
2025
- U.S. Virgin IslandsLegal, but requires medical diagnosisOctober 15
- KansasLegal, but requires medical diagnosisOctober 6
- CubaLegal, no restrictionsJuly 18
- Norfolk IslandLegal, no restrictionsJuly 1
- CzechiaLegal, but requires medical diagnosisJuly 1
- PennsylvaniaLegal, no restrictionsJuly 1
- New South WalesLegal, no restrictionsJuly 1
- IowaIllegalJuly 1
- SwedenLegal, no restrictionsJuly 1
- GuerreroLegal, no restrictionsMay 14
- VeracruzLegal, no restrictionsApril 1
- PolandLegal, but requires medical diagnosisMarch 4
- IndianaIllegalMarch 4
2024
- GuanajuatoLegal, no restrictionsDecember 27
- EgyptIllegalDecember 12
- GermanyLegal, no restrictionsNovember 1
- GeorgiaIllegalSeptember 17
- TexasIllegalSeptember 3
- ArizonaLegal, but requires medical diagnosisAugust 20
- CampecheLegal, no restrictionsAugust 10
- NepalLegal, no restrictionsJuly 31
- IdahoIllegalJuly 1
- MassachusettsLegal, no restrictionsJuly 1
- MontanaLegal, no restrictionsJune 25
- QueenslandLegal, no restrictionsJune 24
- OklahomaLegal, but requires surgeryJune 18
- IraqIllegalApril 27
- Hong KongLegal, but requires surgeryApril 3
- YucatánLegal, no restrictionsMarch 28
- FloridaIllegalJanuary 26
- MinnesotaLegal, no restrictionsJanuary 1
Right to change legal gender by Country
Legal, no restrictions
Right to change legal gender is legal, no restrictions in 32 regions.
Legal, but requires medical diagnosis
Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires medical diagnosis in 20 regions.
Legal, but requires surgery
Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires surgery in 30 regions.
- Asia (15)
- Bahrain
- China 1986
- India 2019
- Indonesia 1973
- Iran 1987
- Japan 2022
- Kazakhstan 2011
- Kyrgyzstan 2020
- Lebanon 2016
- Mongolia 2009
- North Korea 1997
- Singapore 1973
- Taiwan 2008
- Tajikistan 1972
- Vietnam 2017
- Europe (11)
- Armenia 2006
- Azerbaijan 1991
- Bosnia and Herzegovina 2012
- Kosovo 2019
- Latvia 2012
- Moldova 2001
- Montenegro 2008
- North Macedonia 1995
- Romania 1996
- Slovakia 2023
- Turkey 1988
- North America (1)
- Panama 2006
- South America (1)
- Suriname 2017
Illegal
Right to change legal gender is illegal in 102 regions.
- Asia (21)
- Afghanistan
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Iraq 2024
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Malaysia 2017
- Maldives
- Myanmar
- Oman
- Palestine
- Philippines 2007
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste 2002
- Turkmenistan 1991
- United Arab Emirates 2019
- Yemen
- North America (16)
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Nicaragua
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Africa (44)
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt 2024
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi 2015
- 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
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
Data on right to change legal gender is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 14 regions.
- Asia (1)
- Bangladesh Ambiguous
- Oceania (1)
- Australia Varies by Region
- South America (1)
- Peru Ambiguous
- Antarctica (1)
- Antarctica N/A
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