an xx boy in an xy world


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Changing My Identification

**PLEASE NOTE! The steps that I took are specific to my situation: Candian citizen, born in Ontario, resident of British Columbia for the past 5 years, and name change occured in BC. For for a fairly comprehensive list of the requirements for changing ID in your place of residence, visit Dr. Becky's site. For the most up-to-date and accurate information, you should contact the government agency responsible for maintaining birth records and vital statistics. You can find PDF templates of any of the documents I mention here in the Resources section of this site.

As I have mentioned a number of times, your relationship with your GP [general practitioner] or other primary care give is crucial to a successful transition, so make sure you find a doctor you can trust.

Carry Letter. One of the first things you should do after explaining to your doctor about your gender identity and your desire to transition, is to obtain a carry letter from your doctor. A carry letter is an informal name for a document, usually signed by a medical professional, that declares and explains your transsexual status. [see the 'Resources' page, under 'Templates' for a sample of this letter to give to your GP as a template.] More than likely, your GP will want you to have been diagnosed by a psychologist before issuing you a carry letter.

Changing My School Records. After I had begun testosterone therapy in March 2009, I knew I wanted to change my first and middle names, but didn't have the funds right away. In the meantime, I was going to registering for summer classes in a few weeks, and really wnated to start the next term under my preferred name and gender identity, so I approached my school's administration about adding a preferred name to by student records.

At first they were resistant, and wanted me to wait until my legal name change was approved before changing my name on file. Luckily, with the help of a trans ally I had made who worked in the Registrar's Office, they comprimised and said that if I could obtain a letter from my doctor attesting to my "condition", they would update my school records to reflect my preferred name. I was cautioned that this name would only be valid while I was a student at my college, and that any transfer credits or graduation documents would have to contain my legal name.

Changing My Legal Name. In British Columbia, legal name change requests are processed through the Vital Statistics Agency in Victoria. You can download a copy of the application form from their website. Be sure and read through the eligibility requirements carefully before applying.

After completing the application form, I took if to the BC Government Service Kiosk in downtown Vancouver. The application has to be notorized by a notory public, or you can have someone from the Vital Stats office do it for $17. You also need to pick up a fingerprinting kit from them. The law in BC regarding name changes requires the applicant to submit to a criminal background check from the RCMP. This is to ensure that you aren't changing your name to avoid creditors or the law. The fingerprinting must be performed by either your local police precinct [in Vancouver, this is one at Main & Hastings Streets] or, by an authorized third-party company. I recommend using IFS: International Fingerprinting Services.

When you go to get fingerprinted, you must bring with you:

The fingerprinting organization is responsible for sending your application package to the RCMP. You are not allowed to send it to them directly!

If all goes well, and there are no problems with your application, you can expect to receive your Change Of Name Certificate within 2-4 weeks. Your birth certificate will be destroyed, so if you need it for some reason, time your application accordingly!

Changing My Birth Certificate. This was a nightmare. Most people who change their names are probably doing so in the province of their birth; this is easier, because once the name change has been processed, the information will [usually] be forwarded to the angency responsible for maintaining birth records, and [usually] a new birth certificate bearing the new name will be printed and sent out.

This was not the case for me, having been born in Ontario, and having changed my name in BC. I'm not going to go into the details of the government incompetence and bureaucratic nightmare that was my ordeal, and instead tell you what *should* have happened. All I will say is that you have the right to be treated fairly, and with courtesy and respect. If you feel that you're not receiving adequate levels of service, don't be afraid to get your legislative and/or parliamentary representatives involved.

After BC processed the name change, a notice of the change was forwarded [by mail] to my province of birth. This can take up to eight weeks from the time it's sent, to the time it is processed by the Office of the Registrar General in Ontario [the agency responsible for maintaining birth, death and marriage records in Ontario]. My birth records were then updated, and a new birth certificate bearing my new name was printed and sent to me via courier.

Re: Gender Marker. This may vary from province to province; in Ontario, you can change the gender marker on your birth certificate with a letter from surgeon confirming SRS surgery. The type of SRS surgery is open to interpretation; a hysterectomy and/or meta/phalloplasty would obviously qualify you. However, I know of many Canadian FTMs who have been able to change their gender markers after top surgery, with a well-written, ambiguously-worded letter from their surgeon, and corroborating letter from their GP.

Changing My Driver's License. This was a painless procedure, and I didn't even have to wait for my birth certificate to arrive in order to do it. I simply took my original Change of Name Certificate in, along with a letter from my doctor requesting a change to the gender marker [see Resources], paid my $17 replacement fee, took a new photo and I was done! And I have to say, everyone at the ICBC office at Burrard & Georgia in Vancouver was amazing. They were friendly and respectful and actually made the entire process enjoyable. So, there you have it--good people really do exist!

Changing My Passport. Another simple process, although I had to wait for my birth certificate ordeal to be resolved. I had my doctor right me up another letter, very similar to the one for my driver's license, and brought it, my completed applicated, my passport photos, my birth certificate, my secondary ID, and my $87 fee to the Passport Office in downtown Vancouver. The only catch is this: because my birth certificate doesn't match the gender marker on my new passport, I can only be issued a temporary passport. It looks and works exactly the same as a regular one, except that it expires after two years, rather than five. By that time, I hope to have an updated birth certificate with the correct gender marker.

My driver's license and passport were the ones I was most anxious to have changed, because they are the pieces of ID I will be presenting in public most often. The less hassle I can expect in places like customs, bars, voting kiosks, etc, the better.

Changing My Other ID. The rest of my ID has since been changed over, with different requirements for different organizations. Most pieces like bank cards, credit cards, library cards, gym memberships, phone and hydro accounts can be changed by presenting the Change of Name Certificate, along with photo ID, like an updated driver's license. My SIN card required an updated birth certificate, along with my Change of Name Certificate and photo ID.

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