People who have changed gender will have to provide medical reports if coming to the UK from certain countries to get a gender recognition certificate under a newly announced rule change.
Some countries and territories on the current approved list have made changes to their systems which mean they are not considered to have “similarly rigorous” systems as those in the UK, Kemi Badenoch told Parliament.
The Women and Equalities Minister did not specify which countries would be removed but said the change was being made for fairness and that people coming from overseas must satisfy the criteria for UK legal gender recognition.
Currently, someone can apply for a gender recognition certificate (GRC) if they are 18 or over, have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the UK, have been living in their affirmed gender for at least two years, and intend to live in this gender for the rest of their life.
If someone has had their gender previously recognised in one of the countries or territories on the approved list, they do not need to provide medical reports when applying for gender recognition in the UK.
Ms Badenoch said the change was “long overdue”, with the list last updated in 2011.
She told MPs: “We are doing this because there are some countries and territories on the list who have made changes to their systems and would not now be considered to have similarly rigorous systems as the UK.
“Inadvertently allowing self-ID for obtaining GRCs is not Government policy. It should not be possible for a person who does not satisfy the criteria for UK legal gender recognition to use the overseas routes to do so.
“We also need to ensure parity with UK applicants. It would not be fair for the overseas routes to be based on less rigorous evidential requirements. This would damage the integrity and credibility of the process in the Gender Recognition Act.”
