Effective November 1, people in Germany aged 18 and older can already change their names and genders in their official records, or have the gender marker removed altogether.
Gender self-recognition is the country’s new policy under the Self-Determination Act, which was passed in April 2024, though only takes effect this November.
Under the new law:
- There is a mandatory three-month wait between applying and making a personal declaration.
- The requirement for two psychiatric assessments and a court hearing have been scrapped.
- Once someone applied to change their gender and first name, no further applications can be made for a minimum of 12 months.
- Minors — over the age of 14 — can apply to make the changes with parental approval, or seek legal recourse.
- Parents can apply for their minor children, but the child needs to be present at the register office and give their assent.
With this law, Germany is now the 12th country in Europe to introduce legal self-determination legislation.
