Directeur de l'état civil

Change of sex designation

Admissibility

To qualify to change the sex designation appearing on the act of birth, the person concerned by the application must be domiciled in Québec for at least one year.

If the person concerned by the application was born in Québec but lives elsewhere, the person may also qualify to change the sex designation if the person shows that such an amendment is not possible in the province or country in which the person is domiciled. Contact us for more information.

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How to file an application

If the application concerns an admissible person of 18 years of age or over, it must be filed:

If the application concerns an admissible person under 14 years of age, it must be filed:

If the application concerns an admissible person between 14 and 17 years of age, it must be filed:

Appendices and additional documents must be included with the form on the basis of each case. When the application concerns a minor person, you must, in particular, include a letter from a physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, sexologist or social worker authorized to practice in Canada or in the State in which the person concerned by the application is domiciled, who declares having evaluated or followed the person concerned by the application and who is of the opinion that changing this designation is appropriate.

If the person concerned by the application has already received a change of sex designation, this letter must also state that the requested change is appropriate having regard to the affidavit made in support of the initial application.

If you fail to include those documents, your application could be denied. Carefully read the general information at the end of the form for the documents that are required in your case.

For more information on the documents you must include or the conditions you must meet in your case, contact us.

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Persons to notify and consents to obtain

Note that a change of designation of sex for a child under 14 years of age is not granted, except for a compelling reason, if the other parent or tutor has not been notified of the application or objects to it. In the case of an objection, you can file the application directly with the court to obtain such a change before filing your application with the Directeur de l'état civil.

Note that a change of designation of sex for a child between 14 and 17 years of age cannot be granted without his or her consent.

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Changing given names

In addition to the change of sex designation, it is also possible to apply to change one or several given names to better reflect the new gender identity of the person concerned. However, you cannot apply to change the surname of the person concerned by means of the application for a change of sex designation. In that case, you must submit a separate change of name application. Contact us for more information.

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Decision rendered by the Directeur de l'état civil

After analyzing your application, the Directeur de l'état civil renders a written decision and sends it to you. Only the court may review the decision. If you are not satisfied, you may, within 30 days of receiving the decision, file a judicial application with the court to request a review.

Upon expiry of the 30 days, if the decision by the Directeur de l'état civil is favorable and if no application to review the decision is submitted to the court, the change takes effect. The Directeur de l'état civil then sends a change of sex designation certificate (French only) or a change of sex designation and name certificate (French only) to the person concerned by the application for a change of sex designation.

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Amending civil status acts

When the change of sex designation takes effect and, if applicable, the change of given name(s), the necessary amendments are automatically made to the act of birth of the person concerned and, if applicable, to the person's act of marriage or civil union entered in the register of civil status.

Changing your given name(s) on your children's act of birth

If you have children, the change in your given name(s) will be made on the act of birth of the children identified in the Information about the applicant's children annex.

Changing your parental designation

As part of your application for a change of sex designation, you can ask for your designation as “father” or “mother” found on the act of birth of your children to match the change requested or to ask that it be changed to “parent”. Your children must be informed of the change that will be made to their act of birth regarding your designation as father, mother or parent, whichever the case may be. The process varies according to your child's age.

 

Children under 14

The change of parental designation will be made on the act of birth of the children identified in the Information about the applicant's children appendix. You must be the person who informs your children under the age of 14 about the change that will be made to their act of birth.

Children 14 years of age or over

You must complete an Application for a Change of Parental Designation form for each of your children 14 years of age or over. You must inform each of your children of your application and the change that will be made to their act of birth. To do so, you must present them with the Application for a Change of Parental Designation form. If your are unable to present the Application for a Change of Parental Designation form in person to your child who is 14 years of age or over, you must send them a photocopy of the form.

If your child agrees to the change, they must indicate it in the space provided on the form, then sign and date the form.

If the child aged 14 or over indicates that they are opposed to the change in the appropriate box of section 2 of the Application for a Change of Parental Designation form filled by their parent, within 20 days following the date on which they received this form, the “parent” designation will be the one granted.

To find out more about notification or opposition, visit the Change of parental designation section.

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Updating your file with government departments and agencies

When the change of sex designation and, if applicable, of given name(s) takes effect, it is your responsibility to update personal information of the person concerned in any files held by government departments or agencies. This generally entails providing a change of sex designation and name certificate and a new birth certificate.

To simplify the steps you must take, the Directeur de l'état civil can notify certain departments or agencies on your behalf, eliminating the need for you to provide them with these documents. To this end, you must complete the Application for the Simplified Forwarding of Information Following a Change to the Act of Birth appendix, included with the application for a change of designation of sex you completed. Depending on the information you provide on the appendix, the Directeur de l'état civil will notify the following departments and agencies:

Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec

The Directeur de l'état civil will communicate to the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec the information required to amend the sex designation and, if applicable, the given name(s) entered in the file of the person concerned in the context of the Health Insurance Plan and, if applicable, the Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan. However, you must still contact the Régie to finalize the update of your file as soon as you are notified that the change has taken effect.

To reach the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec

Retraite Québec - Québec Pension Plan and the Family Allowance measure

The Directeur de l'état civil will communicate to Retraite Québec the information required to change the sex designation and, if applicable, the given name(s) in the file of the person concerned in the context of the Québec Pension Plan and the Family Allowance measure. You will have no other formality to complete with this organization regarding this change.

To reach Retraite Québec

Retraite Québec - Public sector pension plans (RREGOP, PPMP or other)

The Directeur de l'état civil will communicate to Retraite Québec the information required to change the sex designation and, if applicable, the given name(s) in the file of the person concerned in the context of public sector pension plans. You will have no other formality to complete with this organization regarding this change.

To reach Retraite Québec

Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale

The Directeur de l'état civil will communicate to the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale the information required to amend the sex designation and, if applicable, the given name(s) entered in the file of the person concerned in the context of a Social Assistance Program, a social assistance and support program, an employment measure or assistance service, a professional qualification program or amounts owed to the centre de recouvrement. You will have no further steps to take with the Ministère concerning this amendment.

To reach the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale

Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail

The Directeur de l'état civil will communicate to the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail the information required to amend the sex designation and, if applicable, the given name(s) entered in the file of the person concerned. You will have no further steps to take with the Commission concerning this amendment.

To contact the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail

Protection des renseignements personnels

Agreements with these government departments and agencies authorize the Directeur de l'état civil to communicate to them the information they require to apply the laws and programs they administer. These agreements provide for procedures that comply with applicable legislation, in particular concerning the protection of personal information. To access the information concerning you, or to have that information corrected, contact the department or agency in question.

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Fees and processing time

The fees charged to process an application for a change of sex designation are set out in the Fees and Processing Time section.

Processing an application for a change of sex designation generally takes 90 business days if, upon receipt of the application, all the necessary documents meeting the requirements have been provided.

Note : You are responsible for notifying the Directeur de l'état civil of any change of address that may occur during the processing of your application.

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Reviewed: 2024-06-10

Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale. This link open in a new window.

© Gouvernement du Québec, 2022

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