Ireland, Germany, Finland and more issue official travel advice to trans citizens visiting the US
Citizens of countries including Portugal and the Netherlands have been advised to mark themselves as the gender they were assigned at birth
By Gary Grimes
A number of European countries have issued advice to their citizens who may be planning to travel to the United States following recent moves against the trans community by the Trump administration.
Since Trump’s inauguration in January of this year, the president and his administration have taken various steps to repeal the rights of trans people, beginning by signing an executive order which demands all federal agencies to only recognise two genders – male and female.
In light of this, many countries in Europe have now issued warnings to trans citizens of the difficulties they may encounter when travelling to the States, including Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands and Portugal.
We’ve recapped what advice each country has issued below:
Ireland
Ireland notes to its transgender citizens that they will have to declare their biological sex in order to obtain an ESTA visa waiver.
“ESTA and visa application forms to the US require travellers to declare their sex,” the advice reads. “The US authorities have indicated that this should reflect, what they term, the traveller’s biological sex at birth. Travellers whose sex on their passport differs from sex assigned at birth should contact the Embassy of the United States of America in Dublin for further details on specific entry requirements.”
Portugal
Portugal similarly notes that “citizens who identify as non-binary” will have to mark themselves as either male or female and advises that citizens choose the sex they were assigned at birth.
“We point out that the possession of an ESTA or of a visa does not constitute an automatic right of entry to the USA,” its government also notes, as per CNN.
Germany
Germany has told its citizens whose gender is marked ‘X’ on their passports to seek advice from the US embassy before travelling.
“Travelers who have the gender entry ‘X’ or whose current gender entry differs from their gender entry at birth should contact the relevant US diplomatic mission in Germany before entering the country and find out the applicable entry requirements,” reads the advisory, as per Rheinische Post.
Finland
Finland has informed its citizens that “if the gender listed on the applicant’s passport does not match the gender assigned at birth, the US authorities may deny the application for a travel permit or visa.”
Denmark
Similarly to Germany, Denmark’s legal advisory states that “if you have the gender designation X in your passport or you have changed gender, it is recommended to contact the US embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed.”
The Netherlands
The Netherlands advises citizens that “you must indicate your gender at birth when applying for an ESTA or a visa” to the US. Elsewhere, it notes that “a number of states have introduced local laws that may have negative consequences for LGBTIQ+ people, for example when it comes to access to health care.”