Requirements for changing record of sex

Proof of ID (identification)

Copies of proof of ID documents sent to us by post with your application must be certified as a true and correct copy by a qualified witness—don't send original proof of ID by post. If you apply in person at the Brisbane registry customer service centre at Level 32, 180 Ann Street, Brisbane, customer service officers can sight your original proof of ID.

If you currently live overseas, you may use the local equivalent for the ID items listed. If your overseas ID is not in English, you need to provide a translation from a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).

You must provide 3 forms of ID:

1 from each category below

2 from Community ID and 1 from the Home address evidence categories below.

Types of ID (categories)

All forms of ID must either be:

current—document has an expiry date, is valid, and not past the expiry date
recent—document does not have an expiry date, and was issued no more than 6 months before being submitted to us.

Personal ID

Australian photo driver licence
Australian passport
Overseas passport
Adult proof of age card (formerly 18+ card)

Community ID

Medicare card
Concession or health care card
Student ID
School or other educational report from the last 12 months
Salary advice or payslip
Private health provider ID card
Defence force or police service identification card
Australian firearms licence
Document of identity issued by the passport office
Naturalisation, citizenship or immigration certificate
Birth certificate (does not expire)
Security guard or crowd control licence
Government employee photo ID
Blue card

Home address evidence

Only provide the page with your name and current home address details. If the home address evidence provided is older than 6 months, we may still accept it.

Utility account—such as gas, electricity, home phone
Rent or lease agreement
Rates notice
Vehicle registration or driver licence renewal notice
Recent official letter from other government service providers (not us)
Electoral enrolment document
Insurance policy notice

Evidence that you live in Queensland

If you were born outside of Queensland, you need evidence that you currently live and have lived here for 12 months before your application (or more).

You may need to provide multiple documents in your name to cover the full 12 months.

To prove that you have lived here, we may accept evidence such as:

Queensland rental agreement(s)
rates notices
utility bills
a letter from your Queensland employer confirming you have lived and worked in Queensland for 12 months
enrolment in a face-to-face or supervised course with a Queensland educational institution.

These documents must be dated, showing your name and your home address in Queensland.

We may accept other documents if they are from a reliable organisation and show that you have lived in Queensland for at least 12 months.

Certified documents

If you are not applying in person, you must have your supporting documents certified.

You can do this in Australia with a:

Justice of the Peace
commissioner for declarations
barrister or solicitor
notary public.

Or outside Australia with a:

notary public
Australian Embassy officer
Australian Consulate officer.

For original documents that are not in English, you must provide a translation from a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).

Prohibited sex descriptors

Everyone has the right to have the sex that they identify as legally recognised. However, the Registrar-General must refuse to register a change to a record of sex that:

is obscene, offensive or absurd
includes sexual orientation or identification with an object, character or concept—e.g. asexual, stargender, furrygender
includes symbols without phonetic significance—e.g. brackets (), colons (:), question marks (?), quotation marks (“), numbers, at symbols (@), plus signs (+)
is otherwise contrary to the public interest.

Prohibited name

Everyone has the right to a name that supports their identified sex. However, when considering names, the Registrar-General must refuse to register a name that:

is obscene or offensive
is too long
includes symbols without phonetic significance—e.g. brackets (), colons (:), question marks (?), quotation marks (“), numbers, at symbols (@), plus signs (+)
includes or resembles an official title or rank—e.g. Duchess, Sergeant, Doctor, MP (Member of Parliament)
is a statement—e.g. Save Mother Earth
is a political slogan
is otherwise contrary to the public interest.

Linking birth certificate package

This package provides all the documents you need to update and prove your identity in the community.

You will be sent:

1 official linking birth certificate—shows your new sex and name on the front and your previous details on the back (use to update your ID)
1 official birth certificate (with sex)—shows your new sex and name and does not show any previous details (use after your ID is updated).

Official birth certificates

There are 3 official birth certificates:

linking birth certificate—shows your new sex and name on the front and your previous details on the back (use to update your ID)
birth certificate (with sex)—shows your new sex and name and does not show any previous details (use after your ID is updated)
birth certificate (without sex)—shows your new first names and does not show any previous details (may not be accepted to update your ID).

Organisations will have different requirements for what proof they need about changes to your details, so you should contact them directly.

Official recognised details certificates

There are 2 official recognised details certificates:

linking recognised details certificate—shows your new sex and name on the front and your previous details on the back (use to update sex on ID)
recognised details certificate—shows your new sex and name and does not show any previous details (may not be suitable to update sex on ID).