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Surgery or hormone treatment will no longer be required to officially change one’s gender in the Czech Republic starting in July, the Health Ministry announced, introducing new guidelines in response to a 2023 Constitutional Court ruling.
The court found that requiring surgery and sterilization for legal gender recognition violated human dignity and struck down parts of the law on specific health services.
Under the new rules, a diagnosis of transsexualism by a certified sexologist will be sufficient. “Once the sexologist confirms the diagnosis and you sign an informed consent, you will be issued the certificate needed for the registry office to register your sex change,” the ministry said.
Previously, individuals had to undergo surgery approved by a ministry-appointed commission to have their gender legally changed.
Number of people applying fo gender change rising
The number of people applying for official gender changes has risen steadily, from 47 in 2013 to 270 in 2023. Nearly two-thirds of applicants were transitioning from female to male. The diagnostic process typically takes six to 12 months.
“A sexologist can work with you to create an individual treatment plan. This may include hormone therapy or surgery, but only if you choose it,” the ministry said.
The advocacy group Trans*Parent welcomed the change, calling the previous sterilization requirement inhumane.
“The castration condition was outdated, inhumane, and made the Czech Republic one of the shameful exceptions in Europe,” said Trans*Parent president Viktor Heumann.
However, the group warned that the new guidelines still fall short of providing legal certainty. The Health Ministry issued them to unify procedures in the absence of full legislative reform, which has stalled due to a lack of political support.
“Without robust legislation, trans people are left in legal limbo, which can deepen with each new government or minister,” he said, adding that the European Court of Human Rights ruled that guidelines alone are insufficient.
New guidelines outline transition and treatments
Those guidelines, published in the Health Ministry Bulletin, outline the transition process, including registry office procedures, optional medical treatments, and naming requirements. During the process, individuals are not required to adopt a gender-neutral name; once the requirements are met, they may change their name freely.
Doctors have raised concerns about the bureaucratic implications, such as recording childbirth for someone registered as male or providing prostate treatment for someone registered as female.
Czechia was one of the last countries in Europe to require sterilization for legal gender recognition, drawing criticism from both international bodies and domestic rights groups.
In December, Government Human Rights Commissioner Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková said the country should consider compensating transgender people who were forced to undergo surgery in order to legally change their gender.
