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I'm going to Sweden next week with my brand new, gender-F passport, Pam. While I'm super excited about travelling with my id as the real me now, I'm wondering if i should take any backup paperwork in case the immigration officers in uk or sweden challenge my gender?
Any thoughts?
xxx Pam
I travelled for the first time to the UK this past June on my new passport with my new name and gender designation. I brought all kinds of back up documents but there was zero issue and I breezed through security and customs. Same thing happened this summer when we, my family and I, flew to the US,Germany then Italy and Greece for our vacation. No issues with security or my new passport. I think you will be fine without additional documentation.
Your passport is issued by HM Government and as such is accepted as a valid proof of your IDENTITY not your GENDER. You should only have any issues if the document is counterfeit.
In the UK, the only accepted proof of gender is your BIRTH CERTIFICATE, which can only be changed via the issuing of a Gender Recognition Certificate.
I'd take whatever you have to back yourself, it's only a few papers darl
I cant board a plane , so can see your worry!
Stacy
Pamela,
The only problem I could imagine is Sweden could be tightening up on security through their immigration problems . I know the UK is or is going to relax any problems with trans people travelling but as we all know the message doesn't always get through to the troops on the ground .
I hope you enjoy Sweden , I had a brief stop in Stockholm and just enjoyed walking the city with my camera . The other visit was truly a flying one where I landed in Stockholm and had to grab an internal flight to Malmo, manged to grab a few hours sleep before an early start to photograph a car collection . By lunchtime we were heading off in a hovercraft ( before the new bridge was built ) to catch an afternoon flight back from Copenhagen , I was back home by 10.00pm that same night , shall we say , " Cream crackered !!"
As a post-op Trans woman I’ve made numerous trips to U.K., Netherlands and Germany, there was never a issue anywhere even though I’m built lake a Rugby player,it mite have been different if I was pre-op instead because the scanners would report an anomaly so it would be prudent to carry some additional paper work just in case.
Funny you mention an anomaly Peggie, my first time traveling early in my transition before my orchie I was traveling from Mpls to San Francisco to meet some friends I made on this site. Anyway I had not changed my name or anything yet, I was still legally male but I was presenting as female. More nervous than I can tell you. (It was not a problem you can dress however you like - it's just dealing with the emotions - nobody challenged me when I presented my male ID several times.) That could be different in other countries though.
So I am going through the scanner ( the ones that whirl around you ) and they pull me aside and ask " do you have something in your right pocket?" LMAO :D I told them no. I guess they figured it out and sent me on my way. Those scanners are pretty personal if they can see that !!
Fast forward to the present, I have not traveled internationally since transitioning but I do carry all of my identification including my revised birth certificate. I would rather have anything necessary to make myself 'legitimate' as opposed to having to deal with a difficult person challenging me in the women's restroom or any other situation. Just better off prepared than not.
Home now, zero worries entirely the entire trip. Funny thing, the first time a passport control person has ever used my name, which was cool, actually.
It seems the trans thing is a literal non-event in Europe. I was only asked anything about it by a curious Englishman.
I don't know if you could ask for more, other than more chances to travel and enjoy the world without concerns, other than curious Englishmen I guess.
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and this is me, enjoying being with company in a wood cabin with 6 inches of snow outside! Oh, and yes, those are my real boobs!