Updating Your Driver's Registration Documents In South Australia: Advice For Transsexual People

To deal with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, transsexual people must often undergo hormonal treatment and surgery to reassign themselves in line with their gender identity. Following these treatments, transsexual people must also consider any necessary changes to their legal documents to make sure they show the correct details, including driver's registration documents. If you want to change the gender on your South Australian driver's registration documents, find out more about the steps you may need to follow.

Your rights

Changes to the Sex Discrimination Act made in 2013 mean that federal and state governments must now record and maintain the right information about your gender in all public records. As such, you have the right to legally identify yourself on your vehicle registration documents as a gender that's different to the one assigned to you at birth. You can also update your records to show that you do not identify as exclusively male or female. As such, when you update your vehicle registration documents, you can choose M (male), F (female) or X (neither) as your gender.

Changing your name only

Some transsexual people prefer not to take the step of updating their gender on their driver's registration documents. For some people, it's quicker, easier and less stressful just to change your name.

If you just want to change your name, you'll need to take your documents to a Service South Australia customer service centre. While you can change the address on your documents online or over the phone, a change of name means you must visit the service centre in person.

You'll need to take evidence of your identity in the new OR old name. This means you could take your existing driving license. You'll also then need a supporting document. This could include a change of name certificate issued by an Australian registrar or a deed poll certificate. If you haven't legally changed your name, you cannot update the name on your driver's registration documents.

Changing your gender

The South Australia State Government will allow you to update the gender on your driver's registration documents, but you will need to present certain documents in person at a customer service centre.

If you have already changed the gender on your passport or birth certificate, the centre will accept these documents as evidence of your reassigned gender. If not, you will need to take a statement from a qualified doctor or psychologist or a gender recognition certificate issued by the Magistrate's Court of South Australia.

Transsexual people in South Australia are free to update their driver's registration documents to show the gender they identify as. Talk to a vehicle registration and inspection specialist for more information or advice.


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