Recognising Gender Identity: How to Change the Sex Marker on your New Zealand Birth Certificate

Home News & Views Recognising Gender Identity: How to Change the Sex Marker on your New Zealand Birth Certificate

Self-identification is an important decision for everyone and is an especially important decision for New Zealand’s transgender, intersex, non-binary, and takatāpui communities.

Prior to 15 June 2023, if you wanted to alter the sex marker on your birth certificate you would have to apply to the Family Court for a declaration. However, when Parliament enacted the Births, Deaths, and Relationships Registration Bill in 2021, they introduced a new self-identification process.

If your birth was registered in New Zealand, this new process allows you to amend the sex marker on your New Zealand birth certificate by applying with a statutory declaration, provided:

You are aged 18 years or older; or
You are aged 16 or 17 and have your guardian’s consent or a letter of support from a third party.

If you are the parent or guardian of a person under the age of 16 who wishes to amend the sex marker on their birth certificate, you can apply on their behalf.

In this application you can select from the following:

- Female

- Male

- Non-Binary

- Indeterminate

If you already have an application under consideration by the Family Court prior to 15 June 2023, you will be able to finish that process in the Family Court.

If you wish to learn more about the self-identification process contact one of our Mactodd family law experts.

Application forms can be found here.

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