Supreme Court reforms legal gender recognition process in Poland | TGEUSupreme Court reforms legal gender recognition process in Poland | TGEU

[Anne-Mette]

Oberster Gerichtshof reformiert den Prozess der Geschlechtsanerkennung in Polen

TGEU — Trans Europe and Central Asia welcomes the landmark decision of the Polish Supreme Court on 4 March 2025, which significantly reforms the legal gender recognition (LGR) process in Poland. The Court’s ruling means trans people will no longer be required to sue their parents to amend their gender marker on official documents, ending a deeply harmful and humiliating practice that has been in place since 1989.

According to the Court’s decision, cases for gender recognition will now be handled through non-contentious proceedings, with applications submitted directly by the trans person concerned. This marks a substantial improvement in respecting the dignity and autonomy of trans people in Poland.

However, we note with concern that the Court explicitly stated that married people will not be able to have their birth certificates corrected, effectively maintaining a forced divorce requirement that violates fundamental rights to family life. Additionally, the decision leaves significant questions unanswered regarding the documentation required for legal gender recognition, the potential appointment of court experts, and the process for minors seeking gender recognition.

https://www.tgeu.org/supreme-court-pola ... cognition/