--- description: Ottawa said that the rule, effective from Aug. 31, allows Canadians to feel safe being themselves by letting them express their gender. title: Canada Will Start Offering 'X' Gender Option on Passports image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt842674d5bc25c22f/6988db15fb4eac6fcd893711/gettyimages-94601973.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Canada](/tag/canada/) ## Canada Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Canadians Will Soon Be Able to Choose 'X' as Their Gender on Passports ## Video: Laverne Cox Will Show You the Long, Intense Fight for Transgender Rights [Watch (HLS stream): Laverne Cox Will Show You the Long, Intense Fight for Transgender Rights](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tfCdqzk6.m3u8) (3:57)  _Published 2017-08-09. Narrated by Laverne Cox and illustrated by Molly Crabapple_ by [Kevin Lui](/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 25, 2017 2:44 AM CUT  This Jan. 22\. 2007 file photo shows two Canadian passports. This Jan. 22\. 2007 file photo shows two Canadian passports.Norm Betts—Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Kevin Lui](/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 25, 2017 2:44 AM CUT Canada will soon begin offering a third gender option “X” on its passports and immigration documents. The country’s immigration minister Ahmed Hussen said that the new rules, effective from Aug. 31, would allow Canadians to express their gender identity as they see fit. “By introducing an ‘X’ gender designation in our government-issued documents, we are taking an important step towards advancing equality for all Canadians regardless of gender identity or expression,” Hussen said in a [statement](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2017/08/minister%5Fhussen%5Fannouncesmajorstepforwardingenderequalitybymakin.html "undefined") issued Thursday. Ottawa first hinted at such a change in November, [reports](http://globalnews.ca/news/3694753/canadian-passports-x-gender/ "undefined") Global News. While the rules will soon be updated, interim measures will be in place until documents with the new designation can be printed, according to the statement. “An ‘X’ will make it easier for people who do not identify as female (‘F’) or male (‘M’) to acquire passports and other government-issued documents that better reflect their gender identity,” the Canadian government said. This is the latest in a series of moves in Canada to protect transgender rights. In June, parliament [passed](http://time.com/4821022/justin-trudeau-canada-discrimination-gender/ "undefined") a landmark bill enshrining gender identity and expression in the country’s human rights act. A month later a baby in British Columbia was [issued](http://time.com/4844183/canadian-baby-medical-card-no-gender/ "undefined") with the first health card without a gender designation. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4915330/canada-passports-gender-x-option/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4915330/canada-passports-gender-x-option/"},"headline":"Canadians Will Soon Be Able to Choose 'X' as Their Gender on Passports","datePublished":"2017-08-25T02:44:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T17:09:31.452Z","description":"The new option will be available starting Aug. 31","url":"https://time.com/4915330/canada-passports-gender-x-option/","keywords":["Canada","LGBTQ","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt842674d5bc25c22f/6988db15fb4eac6fcd893711/gettyimages-94601973.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kevin Lui","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kevin-lui/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt842674d5bc25c22f/6988db15fb4eac6fcd893711/gettyimages-94601973.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Canadian passports are arranged for a photograph in Big Whit","caption":"Canadian passports are arranged for a photograph in Big Whit","creditText":"Norm Betts—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/canada/","name":"Canada"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4915330/canada-passports-gender-x-option/","name":"Canadians Will Soon Be Able to Choose 'X' as Their Gender on Passports"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Laverne Cox Will Show You the Long, Intense Fight for Transgender Rights","description":"Narrated by Laverne Cox and illustrated by Molly Crabapple","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/tfCdqzk6/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-08-09T22:17:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/tfCdqzk6.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4915330/canada-passports-gender-x-option/","duration":"PT3M57S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4915330/canada-passports-gender-x-option/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```