Birth RecordsEveryone born in Ontario must be registered with the government.[5] This is a Birth Registration. Your Birth Registration has details about your birth (date, name, parents’ names, place of birth, birth weight). It is a government record that is the basis of your permanent legal record.Your legal guardians must register your birth within 30 days of the day you were born. The sex that is assigned to you on your Birth Registration comes from information provided by your parents and medical staff who were present at birth. It is based on the appearance of your body and physical characteristics.Your Birth Certificate is a government document made with the information in your Birth Registration. Your parent or you, when you are 18 or older, can apply to get you a Birth Certificate, which you can use as official and legal proof of your identity.  Your Birth Certificate can be used as a public facing document to get other government documents, like a Driver’s License or a Passport.If you want to change information on your Birth Certificate, you must ask for an amendment on the information on your Birth Registration first. You can then apply for an updated Birth Certificate that shows the new information.It is important to know that amending the information on your Birth Certificate does not change the data in your Birth Registration. An amendment is a change that can be made on the public version of your document. This will not change the information that is in your government data.Both your assigned gender and your current gender identity will be listed together in the database. This means that the government will have access to the old information.It is not possible yet to change the information kept in government records. However, it is possible to change the information on your public-facing documents.Amending the Gender Marker on Your Birth Registration You can only amend the information on your Birth Registration in Ontario if you were born in OntarioIf you were born in Canada but outside of Ontario, you can contact the government service agency in that province to learn more about the process. If you were born outside of Canada, you can contact your country’s embassy in Canada to find out more information.In Ontario, you can amend the gender on your Birth Registration to F M or X.You can then request a Birth Certificate that shows your updated gender marker to the public Your old gender is still listed in the internal government records.You must be 16 years old to request an amendment on your Birth Registration. If you are under the age of 16, your parent or legal guardian can make a request with your written consent.To make this change, you must submit these documents to the Ontario Registrar General: Fill out: Application for Change of Sex Designation on Birth Registration of an Adult: A form with your basic mailing information; Statutory Declaration for a Change of Sex Designation on a Birth Registration of an Adult: Form declaring your desire to change your gender, signed in front of a notar A notary is someone who is legally allowed to witness your signature on official documents; Application Form for Birth Certificate, to get your updated Birth Certificate. You also need to provide a letter of support signed by a doctor or psychologist authorized to practice in Canada. This letter should say: The doctor has treated or evaluated you and can confirm that your gender identity does not match what is currently on your Birth Registration; The doctor has the opinion that the amendment of gender marker on the Birth Registration is appropriate (the government requires a doctor’s opinion); The doctor’s medical license number, proving that they can work in Canada. Include all your previous Birth Certificates. Currently, the fee for changing your gender marker in the birth registry is waived until April 3, 2020.You do not have to have gender reassignment surgery to request this amendment. If you have had surgery, you can include medical documents or a letter saying this, instead of the letter of support.These requirements can make it hard for some people to request a gender change. If you are not able to get a letter from a doctor, you may be able to apply with an alternative document confirming your gender. To find out if you can use an alternative document, you should contact the Ontario Registrar General at 1-800-461-2156.Changing the Gender Marker on Your Birth CertificateIf you want to change information on your Birth Certificate, you have to amend the information on your Birth Registration first. After following the steps above, you can apply for an updated Birth Certificate that shows the new information. Unlike your internal birth registration, your old information will be not shown on your new birth certificate.You can request that your Birth Certificate shows your gender as F, M, or X.  You can also make a request for a Birth Certificate that does not show any gender marker.  To request no gender marker, the only form you have to complete and submit is a Request for Birth Certificate form.There is a fee of $25 to get a new Birth Certificate with the changed gender marker.[7]Remember that your Birth Registration must display a gender marker.  So even if you remove a gender marker from your Birth Certificate, that will not change your Birth Registration.Having a Birth Certificate that reflects your gender identity can make it much easier to change other documents.