Procedures for changing legal gender

Gender

Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...

 assignment in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

vary between provinces and territories

Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...

.

Except for Quebec, the information below concerns altering the sex recorded on one's birth certificate, and therefore must be done with regard to the province or territory where one was born.

Alberta

To change one's legal gender in Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, The Vital Statistics Act (section 22) requires affidavit

Affidavit

An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...

s from two doctors stating that the applicant's "Anatomical sex has been changed". These affidavits must be signed by the doctors in the presence of a commissioner for oaths or a notary public

Notary public

A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...

. In addition, a statutory declaration must be completed by the applicant and signed before a commissioner for oaths or a notary public. The statutory declaration (REG 3108) can be obtained by writing to the Vital Statistics office. The completed statutory declaration and the affidavits must be returned to this office with a $20 amendment fee.

Manitoba

In order for a person's legal gender to be reassigned, an application is required accompanied by two medical certificates: one from a doctor who performed sex reassignment surgery, and a second from a doctor who assisted at the surgery. Both certificates must attest that the sex of the applicant was changed through the surgery.

Application forms may be requested from the Vital Statistics Agency.

Names may be changed using the normal procedure, and do not require legal gender reassignment.

Saskatchewan

The relevant legislation is the Saskatchewan Vital Statistics Act. It requires a medical certificate of completed SRS from a physician licensed in the jurisdiction where the surgery took place (or, if this cannot be obtained, other documentation as required by the director of vital statistics); a certificate signed by a second licensed physician attesting that the person was examined and found to be of the target sex; and "any other evidence the director may require." With this, the sex on a birth certificate issued in Saskatchewan may be altered. The fee is $20. See Saskatchewan Health -- Vital Statistics.

Nova Scotia

As per the Vital Statistics Act:

See also

• Legal aspects of transsexualism
  Legal aspects of transsexualism
  Transsexual people are those who establish a permanent identity with the gender opposite to the gender identified at birth. As most legal jurisdictions have at least some recognition of the two traditional genders at the exclusion of other categories, this raises many legal issues and aspects of...
  
  
• Name change
  Name change
  Name change generally refers to a legal act allowing a person to adopt a name different than their name at birth, marriage, or adoption. The procedures and ease of a name change depend on the jurisdiction. In general, common law jurisdictions have loose limitations on name changes while civil law...
  
  
• List of transgender-related topics
• Changing legal gender assignment in Brazil
  Changing legal gender assignment in Brazil
  Changing legal gender assignment in Brazil is legal according to the Superior Court of Justice of Brazil, as stated in a decision rendered on October 17, 2009....