As we have a few newly peaked posters on the thread, I think it's worth setting out a few commonly-misunderstood points for clarity.
To change the sex marker on your NHS records, you simply tell them you want to change it.
To change the sex marker on your passport, you need either a letter from a doctor or to make a sworn declaration that you intend to live permently in your 'new gender'.
To get a new birth certificate, in a different sex, you need a GRC. No additional requirement.
To get a GRC you need to submit evidence to a panel. Those campaigning for a simpler GRC process tend to describe this panel review as 'intrusive and humiliating' and like to imply it's an in-person grilling like a particularly hostile job interview. The reality is that the panel never meets the applicant, they simply review the paperwork.
That paperwork is:
- a £5 application fee
- a letter from a doctor - these can be purchased from private gender doctors
- evidence that you have been 'living in your acquired gender' for 2 years. There is no set defintion of 'living in your aquired gender', but it is considered sufficient evidence if you have 2 official documents, such as a utility bill and council tax bill, in your new name for the requisite period.
That's it.
There is no requirement for hormone or surgical treatment, no psychological assessment, no criminal record check, no interview.