Young people & students › Trans & queer rights
Change name and gender on documents
What usually matters in this situation, and the papers to keep ready before you meet an advocate or free legal aid (call 15100).
Make my own list — free, 2 minutesYour situation
- What do you need? Change name / gender on documents
Where you stand
- Be careful Since 25 May 2026 a medical board is involved in issuing the certificate. The Supreme Court is hearing a challenge — the process may change again.
Do these now
- Application for a certificate of identity (National Portal for Transgender Persons / District Magistrate)
Since May 2026 the District Magistrate decides after a medical board's recommendation — ask an advocate or support group before you apply. Where: transgender.dosje.gov.in
Papers to gather
- Current ID documents (Aadhaar, PAN, school certificates, passport)
Every change starts from these. - Affidavit of your name and gender, and any medical records you choose to share
Applications and record updates ask for them; the medical board may ask for medical documents. Where: Notary.
What the law says
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026 (in force from 25 May 2026) removed the statutory right to self-identified gender: the District Magistrate now issues a certificate of identity after considering a designated medical board's recommendation. The amendment is under challenge in the Supreme Court. The 2019 Act's bar on discrimination in education, jobs and healthcare continues. Same-sex relations are not a crime (Navtej Johar, 2018), and courts grant police protection to couples facing threats.
General information, not legal advice.
Saboot will also ask
- Are you safe right now?
- Are you 18 or older?
Similar situations
- Family forcing me to marry or change
- Same-sex couple facing threats
- Discriminated at work for being trans or queer
Sources
- Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026 (No. 3 of 2026, in force 25 May 2026)
- National Portal for Transgender Persons
The full guide: Trans or queer — ID documents, family pressure, safety or discrimination · All situations