Apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate

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What documents you need

To find out what documents you need, you can either:

You can usually just provide copies of these documents, but keep the original versions as the panel may ask to see them after you apply.

What you need to do

You’ll need to do the following.

  1. Download and fill in a statutory declaration. Follow the guidance to find out which declaration is right for you and who can act as a witness when you sign your declaration.

  2. Get an original or certified copy of your full birth or adoption certificate. If your birth or adoption was registered in the UK, find out how to order a certificate if you do not have it available.

  3. If you’ve changed your name to reflect your affirmed gender, get copies of all documents that show when you’ve done this. This includes enrolled or unenrolled deed polls and statutory declarations of name changes. These copies do not need to be certified.

  4. If you’ve got a Gender Recognition Certificate or something similar from an approved country or territory, you’ll need the documents listed under ‘If you’re on the overseas route’. Otherwise, you’ll need the documents listed under ‘If you’re on the main route’.

  5. If you’ve ever been married or in a civil partnership before, you’ll need the documents listed under ‘If you’ve ever been married or been in a civil partnership’.

  6. If any of your documents are not in English, follow the steps under ‘If any of your documents are not in English’.

If you’re on the main route

You need both of the following:

  • medical reports from the UK
  • evidence that you’ve lived in your affirmed gender for the last 2 years

Medical reports from the UK

You need 2 reports written by either:

  • 2 different medical doctors registered in the UK
  • a medical doctor and a clinical psychologist, both registered in the UK

Neither of the reports can be written by a nurse practitioner.

The reports both need to include the name, practice address and contact details of the person who wrote the report.

At least one of the two reports needs to include details of any gender affirmation treatment you’ve had or plan to have, including:

  • any surgical treatments
  • any non-surgical treatments, such as hormone therapy
  • if you’ve not had any treatment and do not plan to have any, why that’s the case

The first report needs to confirm your gender dysphoria diagnosis and the clinical history this was based on, including:

  • who made the diagnosis
  • when the diagnosis was made
  • what evidence was used to make the diagnosis

This first report needs to be written by a registered doctor or clinical psychologist who practises in the field of gender dysphoria. You can find one of these by:

If your registered doctor or clinical psychologist is not on the list of specialists, ask them to include a brief summary of their experience of practising in the field of gender dysphoria.

The second report can be written by any registered doctor or clinical psychologist, including your GP, a surgeon or an endocrinologist.

There’s no required content for this second report, and it can include the same information from the first report.

The reports do not need to be specially written for your application, so long as they meet all the requirements. You may already have suitable reports in your medical records.

If you do need new reports written, you’ll probably need to pay for them even if you use NHS medical practitioners.

There is a form that medical practitioners can use to write either of these reports.

Evidence of living in your gender for the last 2 years

You’ll need copies of evidence to show that you’ve been living in your affirmed gender for the last 2 years.

Each piece of evidence should contain at least one of the following that matches up with your affirmed gender:

  • a name
  • a title, like ‘Mr’ or ‘Miss’
  • a gender marker, like ‘male’ or ‘female’

There are no other specific requirements for this evidence, but try to find:

  • evidence from different points over the 2 years, with roughly 1 piece of evidence for every 3 months
  • at least one piece of evidence from the last 2 or 3 months
  • evidence from a variety of different sources

The evidence can come from before you were diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Examples of what you can send in include good quality photocopies or photographs of:

  • your driving licence
  • your passport
  • identity cards, like workplace IDs, student IDs, railcards, health insurance cards, library cards or supermarket loyalty cards
  • letters from solicitors, accountants, doctors, dentists or employers
  • bank statements
  • payslips, P60s and P45s
  • benefit letters
  • tax letters and documents, including council tax
  • credit reports
  • confirmation letters that you’re on the electoral register
  • student loan statements
  • utility bills, such as internet bills
  • rental agreements
  • academic certificates and documents

You might be asked to send in more evidence after you submit your application.

If you’re on the overseas route

If your affirmed gender is already recognised in an approved country or territory, you need a document that proves this.

The document could be:

  • something that’s equal to a Gender Recognition Certificate
  • an updated birth certificate
  • a court order
  • an entry in a legal register

If you’ve ever been married or been in a civil partnership

You’ll need to have good quality photocopies or photographs of all your marriage or civil partnership certificates.

If you’re currently married or in a civil partnership

If you intend to remain married or in a civil partnership, your spouse or civil partner needs to download and fill in a statutory declaration.

Follow the guidance to find out who can act as a witness when they sign their declaration.

If you were married or in a civil partnership in the past

For each marriage or civil partnership, you need a copy of one of the following:

  • a decree absolute or final order to show the marriage or civil partnership has ended
  • a death certificate for your partner if their death ended the marriage or civil partnership - you can order a certificate if their death was registered in the UK

If any of your documents are not in English

You’ll need to have your documents translated. The translator does not need to have any qualifications, so the translation can be done by a friend or a family member.

Get the translator to sign the translated documents and write down their translation qualifications if they have any.

You’ll need to provide both the original documents and the translations.

View a printable version of the whole guide

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