Municipality of Zwolle: changing your gender on official documents

To have your gender changed on your birth certificate, you must meet the following conditions:

• You are 16 years or older. Your parent's permission is not required.
• You can only apply in Zwolle if you were born in Zwolle. If you were born in another municipality in the Netherlands, you can apply for the adjustment at that municipality.
• Were you born abroad? Then you arrange the adjustment with the municipality of The Hague.
• Do you not have Dutch nationality? Then you must also have lived in the Netherlands for at least 1 year with a valid residence permit.
• It is not possible to have "Unknown" as an official gender designation.

• A valid proof of identity;
• A statement from a designated expert.

Designated Experts

You can request an expert statement from one of the following locations:

• VU Medical Center (VUmc) in Amsterdam
• University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in Groningen
• Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in Leiden

The designation of other experts takes place at the CIBG. The experts designated by the CIBG are listed in the BIG register.

You must apply for the change in registration of gender on your birth certificate in person. It is not possible to ask someone else to do it for you.

To apply, make an appointment with the municipality.

By telephone

You can make an appointment via: 14038.

Important information for after the change in registration

Once your birth certificate has been changed, the municipality will update the Basisregistratie Personen – BRP (Personal Records Database). Public organisations whose systems are connected to the BRP will receive the changes automatically. Those organisations include:

• the Belastingdienst (Tax and Customs Administration);
• pension funds;
• the Rijksdienst voor het wegverkeer – RDW (Netherlands Vehicle Authority);
• the Sociale Verzekeringsbank – SVB (social insurance bank);
• health insurers.

You must inform other organisations yourself that the registration of your gender and, if applicable, your first names have changed.

Amendment of the registration your gender on your birth certificate is free of charge. However, you do have to pay for a new identity document (passport, identity card, driving licence).