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Reassignment of sex

If you have undergone sexual reassignment surgery and your birth or adoption was registered in Queensland, you can apply to have your new sex noted on your birth or adoption registration.

You must be 18 years or older and not married at the time of your application. In the case of a child, the child’s parents, or in certain circumstances one parent or the child’s guardian can apply.

The requirements of noting a reassignment of sex are complex. We suggest you contact us if you have any questions regarding the completion of your application.

Applying to note a reassignment of sex

To note a reassignment of sex, you must:

complete the Note a reassignment of sex form (PDF, 249 KB)
supply supporting statutory declarations from two doctors verifying that sexual reassignment surgery has been undergone
provide proof of your identity
pay the $84.00 fee.

A new birth certificate will not include a statement indicating that the sex has been changed. However, it will note that the birth has been re-registered. Laws restrict the issue of a birth certificate showing that the sex at birth has been changed and only certain people are entitled to obtain one.

A replacement birth certificate in the new sex will be issued free of charge on return of the original birth certificate.

Change of name

If you have changed your name or your child’s name as part of the reassignment of sex process, the change can also be noted on the birth or adoption registration. If you have not changed your name or your child’s name and now wish to do so, contact us for further information. Additional fees apply to these processes.

Lodging your form

You can lodge your form with us by post, or in person at our Brisbane Registry.

Applications can not be faxed or emailed.

Payment options

If you are lodging your form in person, you may pay by cash, cheque, credit card (Visa or MasterCard only) or money order.

If you are posting your form, you may pay by cheque, credit card (Visa or MasterCard only) or money order.

Make cheques or money orders payable to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Proving your identity

Before a certificate, information or source document is released, an applicant’s entitlement to the document must be established and proof of identity produced in accordance with the Certificate Access Policy, Part 4 Proof of Identity Principles.

Photocopies must be certified by a qualified witness as being ‘a correct copy of the document’ (refer below to Certification of photocopies of proof of identity documents).

Applicants are required to provide:

One form of identification from each list (at least one containing a signature); or
If unable to provide identification from List 1, two forms of identification from List 2 and one form of identification from List 3 must be provided (at least one containing a signature).

List 1 Linkage between identity and person	List 2 Evidence of identity operating in the community	List 3 Evidence of residential address
Current Australian photo driver’s licence Current Australian passport Current overseas passport Current Australian Firearms licence Current Defence Force or Police Service photo ID card Over 18’s ID card.	Current Medicare card Current financial institution debit or credit card with your signature and full name or passbook Current entitlement card issued by the Commonwealth or State Government Educational institution student identity document (must include photo and/or signature) or statement of enrolment School or other educational report, less than twelve months old Current document of identity issued by the Passport Office Naturalisation, citizenship or immigration papers issued by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs Full birth certificate Security guard/crowd control licence Australian Taxation Office assessment (last or current years)	Utility account less than six months old (gas, electricity, home phone, etc) with current residential address Financial Institution statement less than six months old with current residential address Rent/lease agreement with current residential address Rates notice with current residential address Australian Taxation Office tax file number confirmation (valid for two years from date of issue) Driver licence or vehicle registration renewal notice for coming period Official correspondence from Government Service Providers

Proof of identity documents are to be in the English language, otherwise these must be translated by an accredited translator. The official translation document is to accompany the original documents.

The Registrar-General's discretion in deciding acceptable proof of identity documents is not exhausted by the above lists. Decisions may be made by the Registrar-General on any unusual case that may fall outside the requirements of the above table.

Certification of photocopies of proof of identity documents

As part of establishing proof of identity, copies of documents submitted to the Registry in support of an application must be certified as a true and correct copy by a qualified witness.

The following persons are considered to be qualified witnesses and are able to certify photocopies of documents as being “a correct copy of the document”:

Justice of the Peace
Commissioner for Declarations
Barrister/Solicitor
Notary Public

If you are submitting your application at the Brisbane Registry, a Magistrates Court or a Queensland Government Agent Program office, client service officers are able to sight original proof of identity documents submitted in support of your application. For further information on certification, contact us.

Contacting us about your application

If you do need to contact us, please make sure you have:

copies of any previous correspondence
any file or reference numbers you have been given
the date you forwarded your application to us
how you paid (cheque, money order, credit card or cash).

Last reviewed 07/09/2009