Change your registered sex (transgenders)

• You can have your gender and given names changed in The Hague only if you were born in The Hague. You can do this online with the Registry Office of the municipality.
• You are 16 years or older. Were you born in The Hague but you are not a Dutch citizen? Then you can only change your sex and first name(s) if you have lived in the Netherlands for at least 1 year. You must also have a legally valid residence permit. Whether you can change your name depends on your country of citizenship (nationality).

After receiving your online application form, a municipal official will contact you to discuss which documents you will need to submit. The municipality in any case needs the following documents:

• a statement by an expert. The statement should affirm that you have declared to this expert that you have the permanent conviction that you belong to another gender than stated on your birth certificate. And that you understand the repercussions of your decision to change your gender identification. This statement may not be older than 6 months at the time of your application. Go to the Begin external link: website of the Dutch government(External link), end external link. for information about the experts who can issue a statement.
• if you have Dutch citizenship (nationality): proof of your Dutch citizenship. This can be (a copy of) a Dutch identity card, Dutch passport or a Dutch nationality certificate.
• if you have a different citizenship (nationality): a copy of your passport and both sides of your valid residence permit.

Were you born outside of the Netherlands and would you like to change your gender identification in the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriage? Go to Begin link: Change your registered sex (transgenders born abroad), end link. .

There are no fees for the application. The municipality will charge you for the postage and the fees for any copies of official documents.

It takes approximately 1 month to change the information on your birth certificate. You will get a confirmation once your information has been altered. 

Once your birth certificate has been changed, the municipality where you live will register the changes in the Personal Records Database (BRP). Government agencies which make use of the BRP will get the changes automatically. It will be up to you to inform other organisations that your gender and your given names were changed. It will also be up to you to replace other documents such as your passport, driving licence and school diplomas.

You can make a safe copy of your identity document with your mobile telephone or tablet using the KopieID app. Read more on the Begin external link: website of the Dutch government(External link), end external link..