Change of name or gender

When you apply for a passport, the name in your passport will generally be your most recent name registered in Australia.

It will usually be your name on either your Australian:

• birth certificate
• citizenship certificate
• Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM) name change certificate.

There are circumstances where the name in the passport will not be the name on one of the above documents.

For example, in certain circumstances, it can also be as stated in your most recent Australian passport, issued after 20 August 1986, with a validity of 2 years or more. You can't have registered another name with an Australian RBDM or the Department of Home Affairs since the passport was issued.

For more information, see:

• section 53 of the Australian Passports Act 2005 (Cth)(Opens in a new tab/window)
• section 25 of the Australian Passports Determination 2015 (Cth)(Opens in a new tab/window).

If you only have one name

If you only have one name (because you don’t have a family name or a given name):

• enter your name in the ‘Family name’ field on the passport application form
• enter XXX in the ‘Given name’ field (this won’t appear in your passport).

Not all countries accept passports with only one name. Check the entry requirements for any destination you plan to visit or transit through.

For more information, see Smartraveller(Opens in a new tab/window).

If you change your family name because of a change in your marital status, you can choose to get a new passport or keep using your current one. We recommend booking travel in the name that’s in your passport. A change in marital status includes:

• marriage
• divorce
• entering or leaving a registered relationship
• the death of a spouse.

If you change your name for other reasons, you should stop using your current passport and apply for a new one

You can’t have different Australian passports in different names. If you have 2 or more concurrent passports, and you want to change your name in one of them, you have to change all of them at the same time.

To get a passport in your new name, you’ll need to show us documents that prove your Australian citizenship and your identity. You'll also need to show documents that link your new name to your old name. Which documents you need will depend on why you changed your name.

Changing your name because of a change in marital status

If you’ve changed your name because of a change in your marital status, and you want a new passport, there are 2 kinds of documents you'll need.

1. Mandatory documents that link your new name to the name on your Australian birth or Australian citizenship certificate – without one of these documents, we can’t issue a passport in your new name.
2. Additional documents that show you might be eligible to have the application fee for your replacement passport waived.

1. Mandatory documents that link your names

If you’ve taken your spouse or partner’s family name, or added it to your own family name, you can generally link these names by showing us your Australian birth certificate or Australian citizenship certificate with your previous name.

You'll also need to show us either a:

• marriage certificate issued by an Australian RBDM
• registered relationship certificate
• name change certificate issued by an Australian RBDM.

If you have an amended Australian birth certificate or Australian citizenship certificate showing your family name change, we won't need a separate marriage, registered relationship or name change certificate.

There are certain circumstances where we'll always need a name change certificate. This applies to any of the following:

• you've changed your given name(s)
• you've entered or left a de facto relationship
• you were born in Australia and married or entered into a registered relationship overseas
• you formally registered a name change in Australia after you married or entered a registered relationship, and you’re now reverting to a name you previously used.

We'll accept foreign certificates only if you can’t get an Australian equivalent because you were:

• born overseas
• live overseas
• married or entered into the relationship overseas.

You must have become an Australian citizen before you entered the marriage or relationship. Foreign certificates must also be legalised. Any documents not in English need to be translated in full by an approved translation service. For more information, see Interpreting and translation.

2. Additional documents to waive the replacement passport application fee

You may be eligible to have the application fee for your replacement passport waived if you:

• changed your family name due to a change in marital status
• hold a current Australian passport that expires more than 2 years from now.

You must also meet the other criteria to have your application fee waived. See Replacement passport.

You'll need to prove that your name change relates to your marital status by showing us:

• a marriage or registered relationship certificate
• evidence of a finalised divorce – a divorce order or a certificate of divorce
• a revocation of registered relationship certificate
• evidence of the death of your spouse or partner – a death certificate, a coroner’s report, a medical certificate, a cremation certificate, or an Australian birth certificate that records the death.
   

If you've changed your family name due to entering or leaving a de facto relationship, you must show us:

• a name change certificate issued by an Australian RBDM
• a completed B-11 form explaining the circumstances of the relationship
• evidence of the relationship, such as property or lease documents in both names, or evidence of the ending of the relationship, such as the death certificate of your partner.

You’re not eligible to have your replacement passport application fee waived if you’ve only changed your given name(s) and not your family name.

We accept foreign certificates in support of a fee waiver. For this purpose, they don’t have to be legalised. Any documents that aren’t in English need to be translated in full by an approved translation service.

If you don't have one of the documents listed above, you'll need to apply for a new passport and pay the full application fee.

Changing your name because of a change in gender

If you’ve changed any part of your name because of a gender transition, you need to show us a name change certificate issued by an Australian RBDM, unless either:

• your new name is already reflected in a re-issued Australian birth certificate or Australian citizenship certificate
• you were born and live overseas, the name change happened overseas, and you don't meet the residency requirements to register your new name in Australia.

If the change of name document doesn’t also show your preferred gender, then you also have to provide documents that establish that you’ve transitioned your gender.

We'll only accept a foreign name change certificate if you were born and live overseas, the name change happened overseas, and you don't meet the residency requirements to register your new name in Australia.

The name change must have happened after you became an Australian citizen. The foreign name change certificate must be legalised. If it’s not in English, it must be translated in full by an approved translation service.

If you have a current Australian passport that expires more than 2 years from now, and you meet all other criteria, you may be eligible to have your replacement passport application fee waived.

Changing your name because of personal preference

If you’ve changed your name because of personal preference, you’ll need to show us a name change certificate issued by an Australian RBDM, unless either:

• your new name is already reflected in a re-issued Australian birth certificate or Australian citizenship certificate
• you were born and live overseas, the name change happened overseas, and you don't meet the residency requirements to register the name in Australia.

We’ll only accept a foreign name change certificate if you were born and live overseas, and the name change happened overseas. The name change must have happened after you became an Australian citizen. The foreign name change certificate must be legalised. If it’s not in English, it must be translated in full by an approved translation service.

If you have a current Australian passport, you can choose to get a replacement passport, but you'll need to pay the relevant fee. You also have to show us your current passport.

The Australian Passport Office complies with the Australian Government guidelines on the recognition of sex and gender(Opens in a new tab/window).

We issue passports to gender diverse customers. This includes people who've changed their gender (transgender) or who don't identify exclusively as either male or female (non-binary/intersex).

We record your preferred gender in the ‘Sex’ field of your Australian passport. The gender options are:

• M (male)
• F (female)
• X (non-binary/indeterminate/intersex/unspecified/other).

Changing your gender in your passport

To get a passport in your preferred gender, you need to provide one of the following documents:

• gender recognition certificate issued by an RDBM
• revised RBDM birth certificate showing your new gender
• RBDM recognised details certificate
• identity acknowledgment certificate issued by the South Australian RBDM
• statement from a registered medical practitioner or psychologist on a B-14 form confirming your gender.

If you’ve also changed your name, you’ll need to provide the relevant name change documents.

If you’re applying for a passport in a different gender to your previous Australian passport, you won't be eligible to renew your passport. But if you have a current Australian passport that expires more than 2 years from now, you may be eligible to have your replacement passport application fee waived.

Travelling overseas as gender X

While Australia recognises the gender X marker in passports, not all countries do. This may cause difficulties for gender diverse passport holders. You may still be asked to provide binary sex information (either male or female) even if your passport has a gender X marker.

Check the entry requirements for any destination you plan to visit or transit through. Contact the nearest embassy, high commission or consulate of your destination before you book your trip. Find out if authorities will accept passports with gender X markers.

For more advice for LGBTIQA+ travellers, visit Smartraveller(Opens in a new tab/window).