You can select the gender marker you would like printed on your U.S. passport. The gender you select does not need to match the gender on your supporting documentation such as a birth certificate, previous passport, or state ID. We no longer require medical documentation to change the gender marker on your U.S. passport.
At this time, you can select male (M), female (F), or unspecified or another gender identity (X) as your gender marker if you are applying for a U.S. passport book and selecting routine service. You can apply in-person at a passport acceptance facility or renew by mail.
Beginning in late 2023, you will be able to select X as a marker if you are requesting expedited or urgent travel service. You will also be able to request (X) for the following documents we issue:
Note: You may use our Form Filler or download the PDF version of your passport form if you are requesting a passport with an X gender marker.
Visit our Passport Forms page for more information about which form you should use. Children under age 16 must always apply using Form DS-11 and appear in person with both parents or legal guardians.
You do not need to provide any documentation (medical or other) to change your gender, even if the gender you select on the application does not match the gender on your previous passport or other documents. Follow the steps listed on our Apply in Person page.
Note: You may use our Form Filler or download the PDF version of your passport form if you are requesting a passport with an X gender marker.
Under our previous passport policies, if you were in the process of transitioning to a new gender when you applied for your passport, you may have received a limited-validity passport (issued for less than the full validity period of 10 years for those 16 and older and five years for children under 16). We no longer require medical documentation or a physician’s letter as evidence of a gender transition.
To replace a limited-validity passport with a full-validity passport in this situation, submit Form DS-5504. To use this form, you must apply within two years of your previous passport's issuance date. You do not have to pay fees unless you are requesting optional, expedited service. Please note that expedited service is not yet available if you are applying for a passport book with an X gender marker. If your limited-validity passport was issued more than two years ago, please use Form DS-11 and follow the steps on our Apply In Person page.
Note: You may use our Form Filler or download the PDF version of your passport form if you are requesting a passport with an X gender marker.
We are committed to promoting the freedom, dignity, and equality of all people – including LGBTQI+ individuals.
We are taking further steps toward demonstrating this commitment to better serve all U.S. citizens, regardless of gender identity. You can now self-select the gender you want printed on your U.S. passport. If you are applying for a U.S. passport book via routine service, the X gender marker is now available. We are also making technological updates to make the X gender marker available on passport cards, emergency passport books printed at embassies and consulates, expedited and emergency passports issued at passport agencies and centers, and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs).
We will post updates on this webpage when the X gender marker is available on these additional documents we issue.
For travel information regarding the safety and security of the country you wish to visit, see our LGBTQI+ Travelers’ Page.
It means you can select the gender you would like us to print on your U.S. passport, by selecting male (M), female (F), or unspecified or another gender identity (X). You no longer need to provide medical certification or a physician’s letter if the gender marker you select for your U.S. passport does not match the gender on your citizenship evidence or photo ID. Your citizenship evidence or identification document does not need to match the gender you are requesting.
No. The gender on your citizenship evidence and photo ID does not have to match the gender you select on your passport application. However, the photo you submit with your passport application must look similar to the photo on your ID. Learn more about Passport Photos before you apply.
The requirements to update your child’s gender are the same as the requirements for an adult. Both parents or legal guardians must provide consent when applying for a child under age 16.
At this time, we are only processing routine applications for U.S. passport books with an X gender marker. In late 2023, after we complete additional technological updates, X gender markers will be available on other documents we issue including passport cards, emergency passport books printed at embassies and consulates, expedited and emergency passports issued at passport agencies and centers, and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs).
Yes. Your new photo must look similar to your current appearance and meet our passport photo requirements.
Not unless it also documents a name change. A court order approving a change in gender is not a requirement to apply for a U.S. passport.
Please follow the instructions in the letter. If you have further questions, go to our Respond to a Letter or Email page or contact the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778/ 1-888-874-7793 (TDD/TTY).
You may change or correct a passport by following the steps provided on our website.
At this time, you can select X as your gender marker only when applying for a routine passport book. In late 2023, after additional forms and IT systems are updated, X gender markers will be available on other documents we issue including passport cards, emergency passport books printed at our embassies and consulates, expedited and emergency passports issued at our passport agencies and centers, and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs).
Before late 2023, if a customer visits the public counter of a passport agency needing a passport for immediate travel, they will select a binary gender marker (M or F). Once they have completed their travel, they have up to one year from the date of issuance to apply for a free replacement routine passport with an X gender marker using Form DS-5504. Similarly, U.S. embassies and consulates will not be able to offer emergency passports with X gender markers until all technological updates are complete in late 2023. If an X gender marker passport holder loses their passport while traveling overseas, they will need to select a binary gender marker (M or F) to be issued an emergency passport. Once they have completed their travel, they have up to one year from the date of issuance to apply for a free replacement routine passport with an X gender marker using Form DS-5504.
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