Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

Registration of information - Births - Registration of nominated sex

26: Registrar-General must register nominated sex if requirements met

You could also call this:

"Changing your sex on your birth certificate is allowed if you follow the rules."

Illustration for Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

You can ask the Registrar-General to change your sex on your birth certificate. The Registrar-General must agree if you meet the rules in sections 23(1) and 24. If you are a child, your guardian can ask for you. You can also ask the Registrar-General to change a child's sex on their birth certificate. The Registrar-General must agree if you meet the rules in sections 23(2) and 25. If the Registrar-General says no, you can appeal against the decision under section 30.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS520219.

This page was last updated on 6 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Family and relationships > Children and parentingRights and equality > Anti-discrimination

25: Application by guardian of eligible child for registration of child’s nominated sex, or

"Changing a child's sex on their birth certificate as their guardian"

27: Effect of registration of nominated sex, or

"What happens to your birth certificate when you change your registered sex"

Part 2Registration of information
Births: Registration of nominated sex

26Registrar-General must register nominated sex if requirements met

The Registrar-General must register the nominated sex specified in an application by an eligible person if satisfied that the requirements of sections 23(1) and 24 are met.
The Registrar-General must register the nominated sex specified in an application by the guardian of an eligible child if satisfied that the requirements of sections 23(2) and 25 are met.
A person affected by a decision of the Registrar-General to decline to register a person’s nominated sex under subsection (1) or (2) may appeal against the decision under section 30.