Since June 2019, Canadian travellers have been able to identify their gender on their passport in three different ways: Male, Female, or “X,” indicating that the individual does not want to specify their gender. Confirming your assigned birth gender is not a requirement for a Canadian passport or other federally-issued forms of ID.
While travelling with my non-binary (adult) kid to Amsterdam a few years ago, they still had an “F” on their passport, as “X” wasn’t available at the time of issuance. They paused when they were given the option of “X” on The Netherland's vaccination form they were filling out for entry (a requirement at the time). Reluctantly, they marked their birth gender as “F” on the form to match the passport.
Flash forward to today, armed with a newly issued passport, they are travelling with the “X” gender indicator…but fear they may be faced with other challenges as a result.
What happens when Canadians are travelling to a country that doesn't accept the gender assignment of “X”? It could be a legal requirement to only accept Male or Female gender options, or it could simply be that they haven’t updated their travel forms and documents, which are sometimes mandatory.
It is recommended that Canadians travelling under the “X” gender assignment check with the local Canadian embassy, high commission, or consulate in the countries they plan to visit or travel through to make sure the entry requirements are clear.
This is just one of the challenges that the LGBTQ+ community has to overcome when they are planning to travel, in addition to the well-known difficulties in finding exactly where it is considered safe to travel if you are not CIS (a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth).
As some systems used by other countries and travel companies may not recognize the “X” gender identifier, these travellers may still be asked to provide their sex/gender information as either male or female.
Find more information on travelling abroad as an 2SLGBTQI+ Canadian.
If the traveller's name has changed (due to gender reassignment or other reasons), a new passport application is required. For more information on updating the passport, including updating the gender identifier, see Canadian passports.
The Government of Canada warns that travellers may face discrimination because of their gender identity or expression and may be denied services in the affirmed gender while travelling outside Canada. Health services specific to transgender people could be limited or non-existent in other countries.
The only countries listed in the Timatic system (a recognized provider of real-time international travel document information) that bar people with “X” gender markers from entering are the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Luckily, my kid can choose from about 193 countries when planning their next trip.
