Up to date, step by step information for changing your name and gender/sex marker on your identity documents.
Birth Certificate
Passport
Drivers Licence
NZQA
Tip: If you simply want identification with your chosen name and gender marker, the easiest way is to:
1. Change the name on your birth certificate (by statutory declaration)
2. Use the updated birth certificate to get a passport with your chosen name and gender marker (the gender marker on you passport can be changed by statutory declaration – it does not need to match the gender marker on your birth certificate).
This is because changing the gender marker on a birth certificate is a more complicated process through the Family Court. On your passport, you have three options for the gender marker – F, M, or X (unspecified). You cannot have X as the marker on your birth certificate.
Financial Assistance with IDentification
- If you are a sex worker, New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective may be able to assist you.
- If you are a youth in the Wellington region, Naming New Zealand may be able to assist you.
Refuge and Asylum
If you are seeking asylum, please read here: Fleeing Persecution Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Gender Expression: Information for Asylum Seekers and Refugees, and Rainbow Railroad.