Legal

Q: How do you change your registered sex in the Netherlands?

With an expert statement and a request to the registrar of the civil registry of the municipality of birth. This is regulated in the Transgender Act of 2014. A designated psychologist or doctor declares that the conviction of belonging to the other sex is expected to be permanent. Surgery or medical treatment is not required. You then apply for a new passport or identity card yourself.

Q: Has self-identification been introduced in the Netherlands?

No. The 2021 bill that sought to scrap the expert statement and drop the age limit of 16 never became law: the government withdrew it in 2025. The law in force is the Transgender Act of 2014. Anyone who wants to change the registered sex therefore still needs a statement from an expert.

Q: From what age can you have your sex officially changed?

From the age of 16. From that age a young person can independently submit a request to the civil registry, with an expert statement. For younger children a procedure before the court is the only route. The bill that sought to drop this age limit was withdrawn in 2025, so the limit of 16 has remained in force.

Q: Can a minor decide on gender treatment themselves?

That depends on age. Under the age of 16, consent of the parents is required for medical procedures. From 16 to 18 a young person in principle decides independently, provided he or she has decision-making capacity. Whether a sixteen-year-old can also consent to irreversible procedures has not crystallised legally: Dutch case law on this is largely lacking.

Laws, rights and official registrations that have to do with gender — mainly in the Netherlands, plus international context.

Since the Transgender Act of 2014, a person in the Netherlands can change the registered sex at the civil registry from the age of sixteen, without medical treatment but with a statement from an expert. A bill to scrap that statement was withdrawn in 2025. Supporters of such a change see it as protection of self-determination. Critics point out that self-identification without any assessment creates tensions with sex-based provisions — women's sport, prisons, shelters, medical research and statistics.

In addition to the change of registered sex, this section deals with the procedures for changing first names and surnames, applying for a new passport and driving licence, and protection against discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity as regulated in the Algemene Wet Gelijke Behandeling. Internationally, the policy of UN human rights bodies and the Yogyakarta Principles are also discussed.

In public information, legal steps are often presented as low-threshold and reversible. Legally that is generally correct, but socially and biographically a changed registration or name is not an insignificant step — certainly not when minors are taken along in administrative procedures before the underlying questions have been sufficiently thought through. Good legal information should mention that.

The Transgender Act (2014, revised)

Since 2014 Dutch citizens have been able to have their legal sex changed without compulsory medical treatment. An expert statement is, however, required. The 2021 bill to abolish that statement completely ('self-identification') was controversial and was withdrawn by the government in 2025.

Registration of sex

The passport states 'M' or 'V'. Since 2018 an 'X' has been possible in exceptional cases, and only through a court ruling. The Basisregistratie Personen has no non-binary category; the X appears only on travel documents.

Change of name

Changing a first name goes through the court; anyone who changes their registered sex at the same time can have their first names changed in the same procedure at the civil registry. Changing a surname remains costly and cumbersome. For transgender people who also want to change their surname, this is still an obstacle.

Driving licence, passport, ID card

After a legal change of sex, documents are updated on request. The photo remains valid; the legal details are amended. Internationally, travelling can cause problems in countries that do not honour the Dutch recognition.

Protection against discrimination

Since 2019 the Algemene Wet Gelijke Behandeling has had an explicit ground 'gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics'. The College voor de Rechten van de Mens deals with complaints. Most rulings are in favour of transgender complainants; refusals on the grounds of safety in women-specific spaces (changing rooms, shelters) are rarely upheld.

Tensions with other rights

British case law (For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers, 2025) determined that 'sex' in the Equality Act means biological sex. The Dutch equivalent — a ruling that legally clarifies the operation of 'sex' in the AWGB — has not yet been given. Women-specific provisions (changing rooms, sport, shelters for abused women, prisons) navigate a legal grey area.

Sports regulations

NOC*NSF largely follows the IOC framework. KNVB and KNZB have their own rules for trans women in women's competition; the KNVB decides case by case through dispensation. There is no Dutch law that binds sports federations to biological categories; the federations decide for themselves.

International legal differences

Spain introduced a self-identification model in 2023; the Scottish Parliament passed a similar law at the end of 2022. The British government blocked that law in 2023, so it never came into force; the Scottish court upheld the block at the end of 2023. Hungary, Slovakia and some American states went the other way with restrictive legislation. The Netherlands is in an intermediate position in which the law follows practice instead of running ahead of it.

What a minor can do legally

Under 16: parental consent required for medical procedures. 16-18: in principle independently legally competent for medical decisions, provided the young person has decision-making capacity. Whether a sixteen-year-old can approve irreversible procedures has not yet crystallised legally — British case law (Bell v Tavistock, 2020-2021) produced mixed rulings. Dutch case law on this is largely lacking.

All topics

The plenary chamber of the Senate in The Hague

Photo: Rijksvastgoedbedrijf, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Transgender Law in the Netherlands

The Dutch Transgender Act of 2014: the procedure, the requirements, the withdrawn self-identification bill and how the Netherlands compares with the rest of Europe.

The building of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands on Korte Voorhout in The Hague

Photo: Fred Romero, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rights in the Netherlands

Legal rights for transgender and non-binary people in the Netherlands: equal treatment, healthcare rights and sex registration.

Photo: Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Change of Legal Sex Registration

How do you change your gender registration in the BRP? The procedure step by step, the age limit of 16 and what the Dutch Transgender Act of 2014 provides.

The white municipal offices of Utrecht above the station canopy.

Photo: Choinowski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Name Change

Changing your first name and surname in the Netherlands: the procedure at the court and at Dienst Justis, the costs and the effect on diplomas and ID documents.

Page from a Dutch passport featuring the national coat of arms

Photo: Anefo / Nationaal Archief, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Changing Your Passport

How do you apply for a new passport after a gender registration or name change? The procedure, fees, gender marker and travelling with an old document.

Foto: Ch Jawad via Pexels

Changing Your Driving Licence

Updating your driving licence after a change of name or gender: procedure, fees, validity and what is stated on the Dutch driving licence.

Foto: Lajos Kristóf Kántor via Pexels

Anti-Discrimination Legislation

Laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity: the Equal Treatment Act, criminal law and the Constitution, plus complaint procedures before the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights.

The Palais des Nations, the United Nations office in Geneva

Photo: Yann Forget, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

International Rights

International protection of transgender rights: the ECHR, EU directives, the Yogyakarta Principles, UN resolutions, and differences between countries in Europe.

The hall of the United Nations General Assembly in New York

Photo: Basil D Soufi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

UN Resolutions on Gender

Overview of UN resolutions on gender identity: Human Rights Council, OHCHR, the Independent Expert on SOGI, and what they mean for the Netherlands.

Glass office building of the Social Insurance Bank in Breda beneath a cloudy sky.

Photo: Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pension and Transition

Consequences of a change in gender registration for pensions: AOW pension age, survivor’s pension and insurance practices.

The old Amsterdam courthouse, viewed from an intersection.

Photo: Ceescamel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Adoption and transition

Adoption law in the Netherlands in relation to a changed gender registration, partner adoption and international adoption after transition.

Foto: Boko Shots via Pexels

Employment Law and Transition

Rights of transgender employees in the Netherlands: the ban on discrimination, transitioning in the workplace and the role of the Equal Treatment Act.

Residential buildings at the asylum seekers’ centre in Winterswijk along a brick-paved road.

Photo: Ciell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Asylum Law for Transgender People

Asylum procedure for transgender asylum seekers in the Netherlands: recognition as a social group, IND policy and international guidelines.

The main building of Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta

Photo: Risanprasetyo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Yogyakarta Principles

International legal standards for human rights in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity (2006, plus 10 in 2017).

The plenary chamber of the House of Representatives in The Hague

Photo: Husky, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Conversion Law Means the End of Gender Transition

Essay by Edward Jansen: the Conversion Practices Act bans attempts to persuade gay people to change their sexual orientation, but with the same wording also affects the entire medical gender transition process.

The courtroom of the European Court of Human Rights

Photo: CherryX, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

European Court of Human Rights — transgender case law

Key judgments of the European Court of Human Rights on transgender rights: legal recognition, sterilisation requirements and the right to private life.

A wedding ring is being slipped onto a finger

Photo: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Marriage and Transition

Consequences of a gender change for an existing marriage in the Netherlands: continuity of the relationship and international considerations.

Photo: Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Parenthood after transition

Legal parenthood before and after a change in gender registration: registration as a father or mother, parental authority, and international differences.

The empty plenary chamber of the Dutch House of Representatives, with wooden benches and blue seats.

Photo: Husky, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ban on conversion therapy

Legislation and debate surrounding a ban on conversion therapy aimed at sexual orientation or gender identity, in the Netherlands and internationally.

Foto: Zakir Rushanly via Pexels

Health Insurance and Gender-Affirming Care in the Netherlands

Reimbursement for transgender care from the basic health insurance: intake, hormone therapy, surgery, hair removal and fertility preservation.

Empty hospital corridor with beds, overlaid with a judge’s gavel and a set of scales

AI-generated

Is the NHS violating UK anti-mutilation law with transgender surgery?

A Genspect essay argues that the NHS may be violating the UK’s Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 by performing gender-affirming genital surgery on young women. What the law says, what is actually happening, and why an exception in the law itself lies at the heart of the problem.

Legal aspects of detransition

Legal consequences of detransition in the Netherlands: reversing the registration of sex, change of name and documents.

How do you change your registered sex in the Netherlands?

Has self-identification been introduced in the Netherlands?

From what age can you have your sex officially changed?

Can a minor decide on gender treatment themselves?