As of June 10, 2010, the State Department allows transgender individuals to apply for passports with their new or assumed gender listed. This new policy does not require that transgender individuals undergo sexual reassignment surgery before they are allowed to alter the gender listed on their passport.
In order for a transgender individual to list his new gender on his passport, he must present a certification from a licensed medical physician that he has undergone the appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition. The certification is known as 7 FAM 1320 Appendix M. These documents must be presented along with all other standard documentation for a passport application.
In order for the certification to be valid, it must contain certain information, including the physician's full name and medical license or certificate number; the name of the state or other jurisdiction issuing the medical license or certificate; the physician's Drug Enforcement Administration registration number; and the physician's contact information, including address and telephone number.
Additionally, the physician must state that she is the attending physician for the passport applicant and a doctor/patient relationship exists between them. The physician must declare that the passport applicant has undergone the appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition. The physician must also write "I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States that the forgoing is true and correct."
A passport assigned to a transgender individual under these stipulations is valid for only two years, as opposed to the traditional 10-year expiration. The guidelines specifically state that sexual reassignment surgery is not a prerequisite for applying for and receiving a passport with the applicant's new gender listed.
