Flying from the UK

[chelseababy]

Hi all,

My wife and I have booked up to go to Amsterdam early next year, flying from Luton airport.

Something I haven't thought about yet is how I will be treated whilst transitioning but with no name change....i.e. by then I will be full time pretty much everywhere except work, there wouldnt be a stitch of male clothing in my travel bag, and would definitely be dressed and madeup while travelling...I am going to be a guy in my passport but there'll be a girl stood at the passport desk :/

Is this going to cause drama's in the UK?? Will I be stopped from getting on the flight or have to go to the toilet and take off all my makeup to look more like the picture? I mean my photo doesn't look anything like me these days anyways, i was in the army when it got took with high and tight hair which is now almost at nipple length lol but i am clearly the guy who owns that passport.... I'm not saying I'm going to be 100% stealth by then but I will definitely look different.

Rabbled plenty now lol but just a bit worried that I will get turned back at passport control

Any experience of travelling 'en femme' with a guys name and photo on your passport??

Thanks xx

[Megan Thomas]

I can't say I've experienced that problem as I had a change of name as part of transitioning. Perhaps a letter from your GP or GIC stating you're undergoing Gender Realignment might be enough. You could approach the passport office or the FCO to see if they have advice, or look on the dot gov site.

[chelseababy]

Sorry I just read that back and it's badly worded lol I am changing my name eventually but as I won't be out at work by then I wouldn't have done the name change yet

I don't think I would have had my GIC appointment by then either so looks like a letter from my GP might be the only route forward.

Either that or go full time before then! New year, my 31st birthday in January, probably not bad timing!

[Jae]

There is no need to change name for UK or Netherland officials. Part timers often travel dressed with no problem in most of Europe.

[Deborah_UK]

Even when you get your name changed you won't get the "F" marker on the passport without a covering letter from the GIC, changing my passport was one of the first things I did when I went full time and it was pretty painless. There's a very good section on the HMPO's web site regarding transgender applicants i.e. https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...nformation.PDF

With regards travelling there is no passport control outbound at Luton Airport, but the airline has to be satisfied that the holder of the passport presented at check in (and the person named on the ticket has to match the person) is the rightful holder.

Certainly on your return to the UK you will have no problem, UK Border Force officers have seen this scenario many times and dealing with Transgender passengers is part of their diversity training. They will not cause any issue, because UKBF managers take any complaints very seriously especially when it relates to one of the strands of diversity.

As someone who once worked on the Border I have never known anyone sent back from another European country for travelling in such a manner.

I have travelled many times since going full time without a problem, my biggest worry was travelling into the USA last November for the first time since transtion knowing that my fingerprints that I would give this time would not match the identity of when I gave fingerprints in 2009. I did take my old passport and a copy of my stat-dec on that occasion but I had no cause to worry and have been back since without any issues at all.

It'll be the same at security, if you are presenting female then if required to be searched, you will be searched by a female (and for our transmen reading this - if presenting male you will be searched by a male)

[emma5410]

Hi Deborah.
A slight correction to your post. You do not need a GIC.

The link you posted says you can provide a letter from your doctor or medical consultant confirming that your change of gender is likely to be permanent, and evidence of your change of name such as a deed poll.

Your passport will show your name and acquired gender as given on your passport application and will not make any reference to your birth gender or any previous name in your birth gender – this applies to both the passport book and the passport chip.

[Kimberly Kael]

I can't speak to the legal process in the UK, but back to your original question: I'd be shocked if there were any problems flying with a passport that doesn't match your appearance. I flew internationally several times with a male passport and female appearance prior to transition without so much as a raised eyebrow, but even if there are questions I suspect honest answers would be more than enough to get you through.

Entertainingly, I've actually done the reverse once as well! I had a nice, controlled timeline laid out that included getting my legal name and documentation changed roughly two months before I transitioned at work. Of course there was a last-minute request for me to travel for work to speak at a conference during that gap, so I was stuck presenting male without any identification to match. What was doubly entertaining was trying to book travel through work, since they would only book flights using the name I was employed under. I had to get HR involved to grant an exception allowing me to expense tickets I purchased instead.

So look at the experience as an adventure, don't get flustered if things don't go completely smoothly, and you'll be fine.

[Deborah_UK]

Just had another thought - if you have a "chipped" passport then rather than get stressed at seeing the Immigration Officer (if thats a worry - even theres no need to worry at all) you could always use the e-gates that work on facial recognition software - so unless you've had FFS since your passport was issued then the gates will let you through and you wont need to speak to anyone.

Emma - I needed a letter from my gender therapist at the GIC to get my passport, but clearly things have changed since then so I apologise for any misleading information

[DebbieL]

It is a good idea to get these things checked out. In the United States, the only requirement is that the TSA Agent be able to match the picture on your identification to your face. When going through the x-ray scanner - they have to scan you as female or you light up like a Christmas tree. Under-wire, bra clasps, breast tissue, all look suspicious if they try to scan you as male. In most countries, they also need to have a woman pat you down if necessary if you present as a woman.

However, I found out that if you are going from Canada back to the United States, they expect your presentation to match the gender marker on your passport. So if you are male on the passport, but female in presentation, they might have to do extra screening and could even prevent you from leaving.

In some countries the laws and policies conflict. They have regulations that say your presentation must match your gender marker but they also have LGBT policies that say they have to interact with you based on your presentation. If possible, make sure your picture is recent and matches your presentation as much as possible.

In the US, I had started transition and was still using a driver's license that was almost 5 years old. I think I even had a ghoti. The last time I used it, the TSA agent did a quadruple take and said "No way you were a guy!". I smiled, said "Thank you!" and he smiled back and said "Have a good day Mrs Ballard".

Last week, I went through the scanner and I lit up like a Christmas Tree. The person running the machine had just scanned a male, and didn't change the setting to female for me. The woman agent looked at the scan and said "I have to ask, do you want to be scanned as male or female?", I said "female", she then saw my cleavage and realized my breasts were real and full. She then told the guy at the scanner, "you need to set it to female" - I stepped back into the scanner and everything was normal. The "Male" setting saw the underwire, earrings, and the LACK of visible boy bits and marked all of them as yellow check points.

I always keep my old driver's license (newer picture - feminine face male marker) and my new license (female name and gender marker) as well as copies of my name court order and gender change physician's letter, just in case there are problems.

Obviously, there are some countries to be avoided entirely, especially those where Islam is both the religion and the law.
I've been to Saudi Arabia as Rex, but even after SRS, Debbie would not be allowed to work in that country.

[chelseababy]

Thanks for the replies everyone

I think I'm going to go with a letter from my GP, as I won't have been to the GIC by then unfortunately. There is even a small chance that I could be pretty much full time by then now, so my passport could even be changed!

Just had another thought - if you have a "chipped" passport then rather than get stressed at seeing the Immigration Officer (if thats a worry - even theres no need to worry at all) you could always use the e-gates that work on facial recognition software - so unless you've had FFS since your passport was issued then the gates will let you through and you wont need to speak to anyone.

This something I didn't even think of, I do have one of those passports so will probably do this.