Travel

Matching your passport to your identity

If you’re planning on travelling overseas you will need a passport. Your passport will be proof of your identity. It will be shown to border authorities as you enter and exit countries, travel industry personal such as hotel and cruise ship staff. You may also need to show it as proof of age to enter 18+ venues.

“Sex” listed on passport

Australian Passports have the option of displaying either

The Passport office describes “X” as standing for non-binary, indeterminate, intersex, unspecified or other. None of these words will appear on your passport so it can be up to you to decide was the X means to you.

Though the passport labels it “sex”, the Australian Passport Office suggests that you choose to record your gender rather than your sex. If you are intersex you do not need to have an X passport. It is your choice which gender marker is recorded on your passport. You may record a gender different from how you identify. You can also record a gender that is different from that listed on your birth certificate.

When you apply for you passport you will need to supply your birth certificate. If you do not have a birth certificate reflecting your affirmed gender, or you want your passport to have a different gender than your birth certificate, you need to have a form completed by a medical practitioner or psychologist. The form can be found here b14.pdf (passports.gov.au)

If you have 2 or more years left on your passport you can change the gender on your passport for free.

Name

If you have changed your name, you can continue using your passport without updating the name on your passport. It is suggested that you book hotels in the name on your passport.

If you have changed your name, you can get a replacement passport with your new name for free.

Appearance

If your appearance has changed significantly from the photo on your passport, and your passport has more than two years remaining, you may be able to get a replacement passport. The APO lists plastic or cosmetic surgery as the main reasons, but medical affirmation of gender may also apply. If you apply for a replacement at the same time as a name or gender change it will be free.

Having an X passport

Having a passport that reflects your gender identity can be affirming and liberating. It can help you explain your gender while overseas. Having an X listed on your passport can cause some issues while travelling as not every country will allow you to enter or even pass through their airports if you have an X passport.

If you choose to have an X recorded on your passport you will need to contact the embassy of the country you intend to visit, to see if they will allow you to enter. This includes places that you will pass through on layovers or connecting flights. The embassy may have never received a question asking this before and may not know how to respond or take a long time to respond. You should allow time for them to respond.

If a country does not accept X passports, they may allow you to enter if you provide them with information about a binary sex. It may be helpful to carry with you a letter from a doctor, or a government issued document that lists a binary sex, such as a copy of your original birth certificate or a linking birth certificate that has your previous information on the back and your current information on the front.

Booking your trip

When booking a flight, airlines may require you to input your title and gender. Many airlines do not have nonbinary or gender-neutral options when booking flights. It is important that the name you use when you book a flight matches your identity documents. If your passport and other identification, such as your license and visa, do not match the booking information, this can cause security issues at international borders. It may be helpful to carry with you some extra identification such as a copy of your change or name certificate and make sure that all your current identification has the same name.

Travelling while nonbinary

Navigating Airport Security

While travelling through airport security and other national borders there may be some extra challenges for nonbinary people as airport staff and equipment can assume a gender binary.

Scanners

Many airports use scanners to detect anything that may be dangerous hidden under your clothing. Scanners are designed to detect “anomalies” – things that are outside of what the scanner is programmed to expect. Nonbinary and transgender bodies may trigger anomalies by the scanner. People with disabilities, non-white racial characteristics, certain hairstyles, and religious wear may also trigger an anomaly with a body scanner.

Some items worn by nonbinary people may cause airport scanners to detect an anomaly. You may choose not to wear these items while going through the scanner. Examples include:

Chest binders
Prosthetics like breastplates and packers
Large wigs or hair pieces

Some airport security scanner requires the operator to guess your gender/sex as you pass through, and some body parts may set off the scanner if they don’t match what is expected. In busy airports these staff will be quickly guessing the gender/sex of many people and are used to getting it wrong sometimes, even for cisgender people.

You might decide to:

Tell staff which scanner you would like to walk through
Indicate through body language or dress
Speak so that the staff hears your voice
Not speak so that staff won’t hear your voice

If the scanner finds something unusual you will be taken aside for further screening. Most often this will be a pat down.

Pat downs

Airport security might require you to undergo a pat down, especially if the scanner records an anomaly. The officer will touch you over your clothes, looking for anything dangerous. It may be helpful to explain to the security officer what the item that set the scanner off is eg. a wig

Depending on how safe you feel, you may disclose to the security officer your gender identity and any sex characteristics or prosthetics that might be felt during a pat down. This could mean that the person conducting the search will be more prepared for what they will find, particularly if you are in a country with antidiscrimination laws. You may wish not to disclose and hope that they don’t notice

If you are travelling to a country with antidiscrimination laws, you may have stronger protections. You may be able to request a person of a particular gender to give you your pat down, or people of different genders pat down different parts of your body. Even in countries with laws and policies to protect nonbinary and transgender people in place, it is possible for them to be ignored or not followed by every staff member. You might be able to bring a companion with you as a witness if you do not want to be alone with staff while the pat down in happening.

Medication

Medication that you regularly take may be illegal in some countries. Carrying illegal drugs with you can be a serious crime in many countries, carrying harsh punishments. Many countries consider various forms of testosterone a controlled substance, which means that it is illegal to carry it unless you have a prescription.

Before you travel, contact the embassy to find out if your medication is legal there. There may be a limit to the amount of medication that you can take with you. When you travel you should keep the medication in its original packaging and carry a letter from your prescribing doctor. You might want to talk with your doctor about options for how to get medication while overseas if you are planning an extended stay.

Other medication you may be taking that are illegal in some countries are:

Antidepressants and antianxiety medications
Opium based painkillers
Sleeping pills
Medical cannabis
ADHD medication

Travelling for surgery

Gender affirmation surgery is one of the most common kinds of medical tourism as it can be much cheaper and have shorter wait times overseas. It is likely that your hospital and travel agents will be experienced in handling this and be able to guide you through the process.

There are some risks involved and things you will need to prepare. Some overseas hospitals may not have the same medical standards as Australian hospitals. You should research the specific hospital to see if it is accredited and if there are any antibiotic-resistant infections spreading there. You may want to make a plan for if things go wrong, including buying travel insurance that covers complications and medicate evacuation, and updating your will. In some countries, you might be able to take legal action if things go wrong.

Preparing to travel safely

How do I find out if a country is safe for me to travel to?

All travel comes with some risk. Before you travel you should do some research about the potential risks.

You can use the the Smart Traveller website to research the general safety risk of your destination.https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/ This website keeps track of issues that affect all travelers such as high levels of crime, political unrest and infectious diseases. It classifies each country based on risk level. It also has a page with tips for LGBTIQA+ travelers.

You can look up whether the country criminalises LGBTIQA+ people and what kinds of punishments they use. Map of Jurisdictions that Criminalise LGBT People | Human Dignity Trust This website maps which counties criminalise behaviours and identities relevant to the LGBT community. Countries that do not have explicit laws criminalising the gender expression of transgender people may do so under different laws including those that apply to the LGBTIQA+ community in general. See if there are any laws about what clothing you can wear based on gender.

You can look up if there are antidiscrimination protection or other laws inclusive of the LGBTIQA+ community such as same sex marriage. Rainbow Map (ilga-europe.org) This map tracks all countries in Europe on their antidiscrimination laws and how they are being enforced. Most countries and continents have substantive Wikipedia pages detailing LGBT rights, though they rarely include specific data about nonbinary people.

You can look up levels of social/cultural acceptance of LGBTIQA+ people. See if major cities have pride parades, LGBTIQA+ friendly bars and night life, and community groups. Some places may have big difference in acceptance between regions, particularly in rural areas.

Help if something goes wrong

If you get into trouble overseas the Australian consulate may be able to help you.

If your passport and travel documents are lost or stolen
If there is a crisis such as natural disaster, disease outbreak or violence

If you are arrested, you should contact the Australian Government. They can come visit you and help you organise things like finances. They can put you in touch with some services and contact your friends and family on your behalf. They cannot get you out of jail or provide you with a lawyer.

The Australian consulate may not be able to help you if you experience discrimination or violence while overseas.