Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transitioning => Legal Matters => Topic started by: Rena-san on December 18, 2012, 06:07:39 PM

Title: Passport?!
Post by: Rena-san on December 18, 2012, 06:07:39 PM
If I can't have my gender changed on my birth certificate, is it possible to have my gender on my passport listed as female? How do I go about doing this if it is possible? If it isn't possible, what do I do, as I need to have a passport that says I'm female by July of 2013. I live in Illinois.
Title: Re: Passport?!
Post by: Arch on December 18, 2012, 06:39:14 PM
The State Dept. has a few ways you can go. If you have never had a passport, I'm not sure what you do.

But if you do already have a passport, you have two main options. One is a provisional change (don't quote me, but I think this requires renewal after two or three years) that reverts back to your original gender marker if you don't update it. The last time I looked, you needed a letter from a qualifying physician attesting to your in-progress transition

The permanent change is, well, permanent. The passport is treated as a regular passport; it needs renewing every ten years, and you never have to update your gender info again. This option requires medical documentation that you have transitioned.

There are other variables--do you need a name change?

Anyway, I suggest that you look at the Transgender Law Center's "ID Please" document. This organization focuses on California but contains info about federal stuff like how to change info with the SSS, the SSA, and the State Department. Here's the link: http://transgenderlawcenter.org/issues/id/id-please (http://transgenderlawcenter.org/issues/id/id-please).

Oh, and the last time I read this document, the pagination was all dorked up. Don't be surprised if you don't find what you want on the page it's supposed to be on.
Title: Re: Passport?!
Post by: JessicaH on December 18, 2012, 07:30:41 PM
Here are the requirements in the US.   http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_5100.html (http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_5100.html)
Title: Re: Passport?!
Post by: Arch on December 18, 2012, 10:27:04 PM
Thanks, Jessica. I used to have a link stored in my journal, but they must have changed it.
Title: Re: Passport?!
Post by: Jamison on December 19, 2012, 01:24:35 AM
The passport is the easiest to change. I had my doctor write a letter with my application (according to their specific requirements) and got a 10 year passport. You can get a more temporary one if the doc specifies you're "in process" of your transition.
Title: Re: Passport?!
Post by: Arch on December 19, 2012, 04:18:41 AM
Quote from: Jamison on December 19, 2012, 01:24:35 AM
The passport is the easiest to change.

I found that as far as the gender marker is concerned, the CA DMV, SSN, and State Department were all equally easy.