Information

Information

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PDF files

Online information

Changing your name in New Zealand How to Apply for a New Zealand passport How to Change your Birth Certificate in New Zealand How to Change your Birth Certificate in United Kingdom

How to change your name

New Zealand

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR NAME IN NEW ZEALAND

To have a change of name officially recognised, you need to register it with Births, Deaths and Marriages. This is done by making a Statutory Declaration (an officially signed and witnessed statement) on a form you can download below. The form is also available by contacting us.

If the new name is accepted, it is then registered by Births, Deaths and Marriages. Any New Zealand birth certificate issued after the new name has been registered will show both the name registered at birth and all changes of name for that person.

Changing Your Name

If you are 18 years or over, or you are or have been married, you may apply to change your own name by completing a Change of Name by Statutory Declaration application form (.pdf) 19k. To read or print this form, you need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program free from the Adobe site.

Together with the form you must send:

Your full birth certificate or other acceptable evidence of your name, date and place of birth (eg, your passport)

The correct fee (NZ$125.00 if your birth is registered in New Zealand, or NZ$80.00 if registered overseas)

If you are married, a change of name can be noted on your marriage registration.

Please complete all questions in the 'Legally Married' section of the form. There is an additional charge of NZ$45.00 for this service. This can only be done if the marriage took place in New Zealand.

* Costs may vary

How to apply for a passport

New Zealand

PASSPORT APPLICATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND

The following is the procedure to obtain a dash (-) in the gender field of your New Zealand passport. You will need to apply for a New Zealand passport by completing a passport application form. This can be obtained from the Passport Office, or downloaded from the links below.

A New Zealand passport may be issued with the sex omitted (shown in the passport as a dash) if the applicant has changed his/her name by Name Change Declaration to a name more suitable to a member of the opposite sex, or· the applicant has a unisex name and the applicant lives as a member of the opposite sex but has not undergone full gender reassignment surgery, or

the applicant has undergone full gender reassignment surgery, but has not produced a new full birth certificate (issued under the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995) showing their new sex.

If you wish to have a dash(-) entered in the Sex/Gender field of the passport you need to provide the following with your application:

a statutory declaration; and
a birth certificate showing your change of name, or a birth certificate in the former name and a registered Name Change Declaration (if a change of name is involved).

The statutory declaration must include the following information:

how long you have lived as a member of the opposite sex
a statement as to whether any gender reassignment surgery has been performed
an acknowledgment that if no surgery has been performed, or full reassignment surgery has not been performed, the passport may be issued with the sex omitted (shown in the passport as a dash)
an acknowledgement that if full gender reassignment is subsequently performed you will need to obtain a new full birth certificate (issued under the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995) showing your new sex, before a passport showing the new sex may be obtained. The declaration should also acknowledge that in this case the full fee will be payable.

Application Form Downloads

Application for a New Zealand Passport when lodged in New Zealand (PAS1)
Application for a New Zealand Passport when lodged in Australia (PAS1A)
Application for a New Zealand Passport when lodged in the UK (PASUK)
Application for a New Zealand Passport when lodged at a New Zealand Embassy, High Commission or Consulate authorised to issue New Zealand passports (PAS OS POST)
Overseas Posts are not able to issue machine-readable passports.

You may use the PAS OS POST form to apply for a machine-readable passport, however you must send your application to Wellington, Sydney or London for processing.

How to change your Birth Certificate in New Zealand

New Zealand

Steps to be taken in having the birth certificate changed from M to F or F to M

Legislation: Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act (1995), section 28(1) (3)

Legal Precedent (2007): The Declaration part of this legislation was used as a court order to obtain legal recognition of acquired sex for 2 transsexual women born in UK. Click here for more details (pdf file)

This information describes the process a NZ born transsexual woman went through in 2006

Go to the family court and ask for the following document:

           Application for declaration as to sex to be shown on birth certificate’
          (Birth’s death’s and marriages registration act 1995 section 28(1) (3)

The Family Court should give you two pages which will say, ‘Affidavit in support of application for declaration as to sex to be shown on birth certificate’
  (this is where you write in your personal gender history )

Mention that you have changed your name by statutory declaration as this will be required when you produce your birth certificate ; its called
substantive evidence, as stated on the side column next to where the reference is, are the words:- Exhibit "A", Exhibit "B", is where you place
  the results of your SRS and any other relevant information.

The next three documents are in yellow and are called the INFORMATION SHEETS. They need to be filled out and are kept at the court so that the court
knows where to send any documents or require any more information. The first page you fill out fully, but the next two pages are mainly to do with your
marriage and perhaps divorce. If your divorce happened some considerable time ago you may be able to leave those last two pages blank. It is quite clear as to what it asks, so there should be no problem there, but if in doubt when you go to file the documents, asks the registrar and they will advise you.

I have added 4 documents in support of the application

From the surgeon who did the reassignment operation

From my doctor in support of the operation results and a little bit of history about how long you have been with the doctor, and when you started on hormones

New Zealand Birth certificate showing your female name.

The psychiatrist report (this one I chose not to submit; just my choice). In submitting these documents it must be mentioned in the affidavit and then indexed as   "Exhibit D", or what ever letter is relevant, in rotation. (What that does is to allow the judge to go the particular exhibit required, etc., for proof of the work or surgery having been carried out.) ]

I would strongly recommend that you get copies done of your birth certificate and have them signed by a Justice of the peace, court registrar, lawyer, or police officer.

With all that information, head off to the family court and hand the application over to the registrar who will stamp and ask you if the documents are correct and true, which will be done on a bible or affirmation. Once that’s done sit back and wait and it will take anywhere from 60 days to 3 months or more (Govt departments are known to be slow) but after, say, 3 weeks write in requesting to know where your application is, and for a date of hearing.

On the 22^nd march I sent the application in to the family court, and today, the 30^th of march 2006, I received a letter from the family court advising me that they have assigned a case manager for my application; this is so that if any more information is required she will write to me and vice versa applies.

the application has been approved, and the order is issued for the registrar to change the sex on my birth certificate.

A WORD OF CAUTION….. Until I find out the end result of this application, I would recommend that you look at legal representation, but remember that it will cost you.. However you can choose to do what I have done, as all of the information still needs to be put together and submitted. I asked the family court Registrar if I needed a solicitor and the answer was NO, you can do this yourself, but of course it’s your choice as to which way you go.