(CLO) On November 1, a German law that makes it easier to change names and gender markers on official documents will come into effect.
Starting November 1, people over the age of 11 in Germany will be able to change their official records to change their name and gender or remove their gender information entirely, under the country's new Self-Determination Act.
Minors (over 14 years old) can do so with parental consent or legal assistance. Parents can act on behalf of younger children, but the child must be present at the registry office and give consent.
There must be a three-month gap between the application and the personal statement. This is a purely administrative procedure and has nothing to do with medical.
If you have applied for a change of gender or name, you will not be able to apply again for at least 12 months.
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| Lawmaker Nyke Slawik, who is transgender, has hailed the law as a historic reform of international significance. Photo: IMAGO |
Kalle Hümpfner, policy officer at the German Trans* Association (BVT), welcomes the law because it makes gender self-recognition more accessible and less expensive.
So far, about 1.200 people in the capital Berlin, which has a thriving LGBT community, have applied. Other major cities have shown similar interest.
Germany is now the 12th country in Europe to enact legal self-determination laws.
These changes make everyday life much easier for transgender, intersex, and gender non-binary people. They no longer have to deal with problems when their appearance doesn't match the information on their official documents, which makes it difficult to get around. Travel Foreign or credit card payments become difficult.
The new Self-Determination Law was passed in April 4 after a heated debate, during which some restrictions were added.