Quote:
Originally Posted by HowSoonIsNow
But passports are federally issued as opposed to a state issued (birth certificates are state issued which is why they have, unfortunately for some, different laws surrounding it), so the procedures are the same for all USA citizens regardless of where one lives in your country. No changed BC (or DL) is necessary to be submitted to have one`s passport changed.
Even if one has never been issued a passport, one doesn`t need to have an amended birth certificate or DL. They can provide their original documents and have a physician certification stating that the citizen has or is undergoing treatment for gender transition.
For anyone interested, here are some sites with more info. I have to say that changing the passport was relatively simple.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/06/142922.htm
http://transequality.org/PDFs/passports_2010.pdf
http://www.tsroadmap.com/reality/passport.html |
I already had a passport. I was told on the phone by the passport office to send in the birth certificate. I'm not sure why I was told that if it isn't needed. I just sent in what I was told to send in. So ultimately I did not even have to send in the BC even though I was instructed too.
At the SS office I was initially refused a gender marker change even with M on my BC. I was sent away while the office worker consulted with his supervisor. The next day I got a call saying they would change it. So.... not really sure why there was an initial refusal/policy check. I read online on various sites that the SS can b etricky because the policy is worded vaguely and can sometimes be up to the office and how they are reading it. Again, this is just my experience of the whole process and the different forms and paperwork. For me, changing the BC was the easiest. It was the first thing I changed because I thought it would make it easier for me to get everything else changed. It did and it didn't.
I do think it is easier to get the DL changed if you have the SS changed first. I have read reports and have been told first hand of one situation where the DL was not changed because the SS had not been changed due to the cross checking. So I think to be on the safe side for anyone just going into this it is best to get the SS changed before going into the DL office. But who knows? I'm sure there are some who have had their DL changed before the SS.
As I said, it sometimes seems like it depends on who you talk to. I was expressly told to send in my BC even though I was amending a passport, while you were not. I think the agencies struggle with the wording in the policies. This policy had just changed when I applied for my passport, so maybe passport offices are more clear on the paperwork by now.
Rufus