Gender recognition

The Gender Recognition Act 2004 gives transgender people legal recognition in their affirmed gender, subject to their successful application to the Gender Recognition Panel.

A Gender Recognition Register has been set up at the General Register Office, from which short and standard birth certificates may be produced.

An entry in the Gender Recognition Register can only be made for those transgender people whose births are registered in the UK.

To apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate, please see: Apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate: Overview - GOV.UK

There is currently no legal recognition of non-binary genders in England and Wales.

Gender Recognition Certificates (GRCs) and registration

There are different rules for different types of registration regarding sex.

Birth registration

If a person has obtained a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) it does not affect their status as the legal mother, father or second female parent of a child.  This means that when registering the birth, the person with the GRC must be recorded in the birth register entry in accordance with their sex recorded at birth.

Please see our page 'Registering a birth' or contact us for more information.

Death registration

The sex of the deceased is recorded in accordance with information given by the informant. The sex registered at birth is not recorded and there is no need to provide a GRC. The only options to record sex are ‘Male’ or ‘Female’. There is currently no provision to register a person’s sex as non-binary.

We record the informant’s relationship with the deceased, not their legal sex or gender identity.

Please see our page 'Registering a death' or contact us for more information.

Marriage or civil partnership

In England and Wales, transgender individuals must obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) to legally marry or form a civil partnership in their affirmed gender. Without a GRC, their legal gender remains as recorded at birth, and their marriage or civil partnership will be recognised accordingly. There is currently no legal recognition of non-binary genders in marriage or civil partnership contexts.

During a marriage ceremony, you will be referred to in accordance with the sex recorded on your legal birth certificate (i.e. ‘wife’ if female, ‘husband’ if male). If you or your partner is a transgender person and hold a GRC, you will be referred to in accordance with your affirmed gender. However, if you do not hold a GRC, you will be referred to in accordance with your sex recorded at birth.

Although we are legally required to use these gendered terms during a marriage ceremony, we will always use your chosen name and pronouns.

Please see our Legal formalities page for information on giving notice of marriage or civil partnership, Your day, your way for information on planning your ceremony. Alternatively, contact us for more information.