Russian Justice Ministry announces plans to ban passport gender marker changes

The Russian Justice Ministry is planning to pass legislation that would ban people from changing the gender markers in their passports and other identification documents, the agency’s head, Konstantin Chuychenko, told state media on Monday.

According to Chuychenko, the initiative is one of the first steps of the government’s effort to “enshrine family values” in Russian law, which he said will also include legislation on “acts of civil status” such as marriage.

Russian law currently allows citizens to change their gender markers in identification documents if they have medical documentation confirming that they’ve undergone a gender transition. Chuychenko noted that the law doesn’t require a “surgical intervention” for a person to get documents confirming they’ve transitioned. As a result, according to him, “a person who changes their passport gender but physically remains the same can get married and adopt children,” which he said could result in various legal complications.

Between 2018 and 2022, Russians changed their gender markers 2,700 times, Chuychenko said, citing official statistics.