Changing Your Passport

Q: Do I have to hand in my old passport?

Yes, in principle, unless it has expired or was lost or stolen. The old document is invalidated when it is handed in. You apply for the new passport at the municipality after it has processed the change to your sex registration or name in the BRP. Until then, the existing passport remains valid, although it no longer matches the BRP.

Q: Can I get an X designation in my Dutch passport?

Not through the municipality. In the Netherlands, an X in a passport can only be obtained through the courts; there is no general administrative procedure. Without a court ruling, the passport will state M or F. An X is not always practical when travelling either: some destinations do not accept the designation at border control.

Q: How long is a new passport valid?

For adults (18 and over), a new passport is valid for ten years; for minors, it is valid for five years. An existing passport remains valid until its expiry date after a change to sex registration or name, but it will no longer match the BRP. You can apply for a new document with the updated details at the municipality after the BRP has been updated.

Q: What if a country does not recognise my amended passport?

Some countries (including a number in the Middle East and Africa) do not recognise changes to sex registration. Travelling there may involve practical or even criminal-law risks. Check travel advice in advance. Ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the situation in your destination. Border control within the EU rarely causes problems.

Page from a Dutch passport featuring the national coat of arms — Photo: Anefo / Nationaal Archief, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

After a change to your sex registration or a name change, an existing passport remains valid until its expiry date, but the document will no longer match the BRP. You can apply for a new passport showing your updated details. This page describes the procedure and highlights some practical and legal considerations.

When can you apply for a new passport?

You can apply for a new passport after your details have been updated in the Personal Records Database (BRP). The municipality first processes the change to your sex registration or name in the BRP; you then apply for a new travel document at the same municipality.

The application procedure

The procedure is the same as for a regular passport application:

Make an appointment with the Civil Affairs department of your municipality.
Bring a recent passport photo that meets the requirements of the Dutch government.
Hand in your old travel document (unless it has expired or was lost).
Pay the fees. The amount varies by municipality and document type.
The document can be collected after approximately five working days or will be delivered.

Sex designation in the passport

The Dutch passport lists sex as M (male) or F (female). These fields follow ICAO standard 9303 for travel documents and are internationally standardised. Some countries also have an X designation. In the Netherlands, an X can only be obtained through the courts; this is relevant to people who identify as non-binary. An X designation in a passport is not always practical, incidentally: some destinations do not accept X at border control, and some airlines may be unable to match reservations.

Travelling with a document that differs from your appearance or biological sex

As long as your passport has not been replaced, you can travel with the old document. At border controls within the EU, this rarely causes problems; outside the EU, it may lead to questions. There is also a matter of principle: at some security and identity checks (airports with body scanners, medical procedures abroad), biological sex is considered relevant. A passport that is legally correct but differs from the perceived or biological sex may result in delays or further questioning. Check the situation in your destination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in advance.

Urgent applications

In urgent cases, you can apply for an emergency passport. Higher fees and a shorter processing time apply.

A critical note: identity, identification and security

A passport is not a statement of identity, but an identification document issued by the state that links people at borders and in databases to biometric and biological characteristics. The more legal sex registration is separated from biological sex, the greater the need for parallel markers for security and health purposes. In some countries, medical records and border controls therefore use biological sex in addition to legal gender. This falls outside Dutch practice but is a relevant consideration for travellers. The consequences of sex registration in passports and the BRP for statistics, healthcare and identification are discussed on zelfidentificatie.nl, on the page about passports and the BRP.

Do I have to hand in my old passport?

Can I get an X designation in my Dutch passport?

How long is a new passport valid?

What if a country does not recognise my amended passport?