BRUSSELS, March 12 (Reuters) - The European Union's top court ruled on Thursday that national legislation barring gender information changes was incompatible with EU law, citing the challenges faced
EU Court: Blocking Gender Changes on IDs Incompatible with EU Law
EU Court Ruling on Gender Changes and Identification Documents
Background of the Case
BRUSSELS, March 12 (Reuters) - The European Union's top court ruled on Thursday that national legislation barring gender information changes was incompatible with EU law, citing the challenges faced when a person's lived gender identity does not align with official documents.
The Bulgarian Citizen’s Situation
The case concerned a Bulgarian citizen registered male at birth who has begun hormone treatment and identifies as a woman.
Legal Requests and National Barriers
She moved to Italy and asked Bulgarian authorities to change her legal gender, name and identification number. Courts denied the request, pointing to national rules that define sex strictly in biological terms and ban changes to gender information.
EU Court’s Findings and Implications
The European Court of Justice said member states were responsible for issuing identity documents.
Impact on Free Movement and Daily Life
However, it found that a mismatch between a person's gender identity and their ID can prompt doubts during routine checks, travel or professional interactions, causing "considerable inconveniences" that hindered their right to free movement.
(Reporting by Amina Ismail and Gianluca Lo Nostro)
