(2) In this Law, any reference to a person acquiring a gender, or having an acquired gender, shall be construed in accordance with Article 8(1) and (2).

part 2

Issue of gender RECOGNITION certificate

2 Application for gender recognition certificate

(1) A person of full age who has changed gender in accordance with the law of an approved jurisdiction may apply to the Court for a gender recognition certificate.

(2) An application for a gender recognition certificate shall be in a form approved by the Court and shall include –

(a) such evidence as may be prescribed of the matters described in paragraph (1);

(b) a declaration signed by the applicant stating whether or not he or she is married or in a civil partnership; and

3 Grant of application for gender recognition certificate

(1) The Court shall grant an application for a gender recognition certificate if and only if it is satisfied that the application complies with the requirements of Article 2.

(2) Upon granting an application the Court shall issue to the applicant –

(a) if the applicant is neither married nor in a civil partnership, a full certificate;

(b) if the applicant is married or in a civil partnership, an interim certificate.[3]

(3) Subject to the requirements of this Law, the content and form of a full certificate and an interim certificate shall be specified in rules of court.

4 Issue of full certificate following annulment of marriage on ground of issue of interim certificate

Where the Court grants a decree of nullity in respect of an applicant’s marriage under Article 18(1)(g) of the Matrimonial Causes (Jersey) Law 1949[4] on the grounds that an interim certificate has been issued to the applicant, the Court shall issue a full certificate to the applicant.

4A Issue of full certificate following annulment of civil partnership on ground of issue of interim certificate[5]

Where the Court grants a decree of nullity in respect of an applicant’s civil partnership under Article 36(1) of the Civil Partnership (Jersey) Law 2012[6] on the ground that an interim certificate has been issued to the applicant, the Court shall issue a full certificate to the applicant.

5 Issue of full certificate once applicant no longer married or no longer in a civil partnership – other cases[7]

(1) An applicant may apply to the Court for a full certificate where an interim certificate has been issued to the applicant and –

(a) the applicant’s marriage or civil partnership has been dissolved or annulled (other than on the ground mentioned in Article 4 or 4A) in proceedings instituted within 6 months of the interim certificate being issued; or

(b) the applicant’s spouse or civil partner has died within such period.

(2) An application under paragraph (1) –

(a) may be made within 6 months of the dissolution or annulment of the marriage or civil partnership or of the death of the applicant’s spouse or civil partner, as the case may be, unless the applicant has married or entered into a civil partnership again during that period; and

(b) shall include evidence, as the case requires, of –

(i) the dissolution or annulment of the marriage or civil partnership and the date on which the relevant proceedings were instituted, or

(ii) the death of the spouse or civil partner and the date on which it occurred.

(3) The Court may if it thinks fit –

(a) allow an application under paragraph (1), notwithstanding that the proceedings there mentioned were instituted more than 6 months after the issue of the interim certificate or, as the case may be, the applicant’s spouse or civil partner died more than 6 months after the issue of the interim certificate; or

(b) extend the period described in paragraph (2)(a).

(4) The Court shall grant an application under paragraph (1) if and only if it is satisfied that the applicant is not married and is not in a civil partnership.

(5) Where the Court has granted the application it shall issue a full certificate to the applicant.

6 Correction of error in certificate

(1) Where the applicant or the Attorney General considers that a gender recognition certificate has been issued containing an error, either of them may apply to the Court, in a form approved by the Court, for a corrected certificate.

(2) The Court shall grant an application under paragraph (1) if and only if it is satisfied that the gender recognition certificate contains an error.

(3) Where the Court has granted the application it shall issue a corrected certificate to the applicant.

7 Reference to Court in case of fraud

(1) If the Attorney General considers that the grant of an application made under Article 2, 5 or 6 was secured by fraud, he or she may refer the case to the Court.

(2) On a reference under paragraph (1) the Court shall either quash or confirm the decision to grant the application.

(3) If it quashes the decision the Court shall revoke the certificate issued on the grant of the application and may make any order which it considers appropriate in consequence of, or otherwise in connection with, doing so.

part 3

Consequences of issue of full certificate

8 General rule for acquisition of gender

(1) Upon the issue of a full certificate to a person, the person acquires, for all purposes in Jersey, the gender to which he or she has changed.

(2) Accordingly –

(a) if the person’s acquired gender is the male gender, the person’s gender becomes that of a man;

(b) if the person’s acquired gender is the female gender, the person’s gender becomes that of a woman.

(3) The acquisition of a gender by a person –

(a) does not affect things done, or events occurring, before the full certificate is issued;

(b) does operate for the interpretation of enactments, instruments and any other documents, whenever passed or made.

(4) This Article is subject to the following provisions of this Part and to any other enactment.

9 Alteration of registers

(1) The Schedule has effect to provide for the alteration of public registers consequentially upon the issue, correction or revocation of a full certificate, and for connected purposes.

(2) The States may by Regulations amend the Schedule.

10 Parenthood

The fact that a person acquires a gender does not affect the status of the person as the father or mother of a child.

11 Succession

The fact that a person acquires a gender does not affect the disposal or devolution of property under a will or other instrument made before the commencement of this Law.

12 Titles

The fact that a person acquires a gender –

(a) does not affect the descent of any peerage or dignity or title of honour; and

(b) does not affect the devolution of any property limited (expressly or not) by a will or other instrument to devolve (as nearly as the law permits) along with any peerage or dignity or title of honour unless an intention that it should do so is expressed in the will or other instrument.

13 Trustees, executors or administrators

(1) A trustee, executor or administrator is not under a duty, by virtue of the law relating to trusts or the administration of estates, to enquire, before transferring or distributing any property, whether a full certificate has been issued to a person or revoked (if that fact could affect entitlement to the property).

(2) A trustee, executor or administrator is not liable to any person by reason of a transfer or distribution of the property made without regard to whether a full certificate has been issued to a person or revoked if the trustee, executor or administrator has not received notice of the fact before the transfer or distribution.

(3) This Article does not prejudice the right of a person to follow the property, or any property representing it, into the hands of another person who has received it unless that other person has purchased it for value in good faith and without notice.

14 Orders where expectations defeated

(1) Where the disposition or devolution of any property under a will or other instrument (made after the commencement of this Law) is different from what it would be but for the fact that a person has acquired a gender, a person may apply to the Court for an order on the ground of being adversely affected by the different disposition or devolution of the property.

(2) The Court may, if it is satisfied that it is just to do so, make in relation to any person benefiting from the different disposition or devolution of the property such order as it considers appropriate.

(3) The order may, in particular, make provision for –

(a) the payment of a lump sum to the person who applied under paragraph (1);

(b) the transfer of property to the person who applied under paragraph (1);

(d) the acquisition of property and either its transfer to the person who applied under paragraph (1) or its settlement for the benefit of that person.

(4) The order may contain consequential or supplementary provisions for giving effect to the order or for ensuring that it operates fairly as between the person who applied under paragraph (1) and the other person or persons affected by it.

(5) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (4) the order may confer powers on trustees.

15 [8]

16 Gender-specific offences

(1) Where a relevant gender-specific offence could be committed or attempted only if the gender of a person to whom a full certificate has been issued were not the gender thereby acquired, the fact that the person’s gender has become that acquired gender does not prevent the offence being committed or attempted.

(2) In this Article “relevant gender-specific offence” means an offence that involves the accused engaging in sexual activity and in respect of which either or both of the conditions in paragraph (3) are satisfied.

(3) The conditions are –

(a) that the offence may be committed only by a person of a particular gender; and

(b) that the offence may be committed only on, or in relation to, a person of a particular gender,

and the references to a particular gender include a gender identified by reference to the gender of the other person involved.

17 Foreign gender change and marriage or civil partnership[9]

(1) A person’s gender is not to be regarded as having changed by reason only that the person has changed gender in accordance with the law of a country or territory outside Jersey (whether or not an approved jurisdiction).

(2) Accordingly, a person is not to be regarded as –

(a) being married by reason of having entered into a foreign post-recognition marriage; or

(b) being in a civil partnership by reason of having entered into a foreign post-recognition civil partnership.[10]

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) –

(a) on and from the issue of a full certificate to a person who has entered into a foreign post-recognition marriage, the marriage is no longer to be regarded as being void on the ground that (at the time when it was entered into) the parties to it were not respectively male and female; or

(b) on and from the issue of a full certificate to a person who has entered into a foreign post-recognition civil partnership, the civil partnership is no longer to be regarded as being void on the ground that (at the time when it was entered into) the parties to it were not either both male or both female.[11]

(4) Paragraph (3) does not apply to a foreign post-recognition marriage or, as the case may be, a foreign post-recognition civil partnership if a party to it has entered into a later, valid, marriage or civil partnership before the issue of the full certificate.[12]

(5) For the purposes of this Article a person has entered into a foreign post-recognition marriage if, and only if –

(a) the person has entered into a marriage in accordance with the law of a country or territory outside Jersey;

(b) before the marriage was entered into the person changed his or her gender in accordance with the law of that or any other country or territory outside Jersey;

(c) the gender of the other party to the marriage was the same as that of the person, before the person changed gender; and

(d) by virtue of paragraph (1) the person’s gender was not regarded as having changed.[13]

(6) For the purposes of this Article a person has entered into a foreign post-recognition civil partnership if, and only if –

(a) the person has entered into a civil partnership in accordance with the law of a country or territory outside Jersey;

(b) before the civil partnership was entered into the person changed his or her gender in accordance with the law of that or any other country or territory outside Jersey;

(c) the gender of the other party to the civil partnership was the opposite to that of the person, before the person changed gender; and

(d) by virtue of paragraph (1) the person’s gender was not regarded as having changed.[14]

part 4

Supplementary

18 Prohibition on disclosure of information

(1) It is an offence for a person who has acquired protected information in an official capacity to disclose the information to any other person.

(2) “Protected information” means information that relates to any applicant that –

(a) concerns any application under this Law by the applicant; or

(b) if the applicant’s application under Article 2(1) is granted, otherwise concerns his or her gender before it becomes the acquired gender.

(3) A person acquires protected information in an official capacity if he or she acquires it –

(a) in connection with the person’s functions as an employee of the States of Jersey, a member of a parish authority, a police officer or the holder of any other public office or honorary office or in connection with the functions of a parish or public authority or of a voluntary organization;

(b) as an employer, or prospective employer, of an applicant to whom the information relates or as a person employed by such an employer or prospective employer; or

(4) However it is not an offence under this Article to disclose protected information relating to an applicant if –

(a) the information does not enable the applicant to be identified;

(b) the applicant has agreed to the disclosure of the information;

(c) the information is protected information by virtue of paragraph (2)(b) and the person by whom the disclosure is made does not know or believe that a full certificate has been issued;

(d) the disclosure is in accordance with an order of a court or tribunal;

(e) the disclosure is for the purpose of instituting, or otherwise for the purposes of, proceedings before a court or tribunal;

(f) the disclosure is for the purpose of preventing or investigating crime;

(g) the disclosure is made to the Superintendent Registrar or the Judicial Greffier for the purposes described in the Schedule;

(h) the disclosure is made for the purposes of the social security system or a pension scheme;

(i) the disclosure is in accordance with provision made by an Order under paragraph (6); or

(j) the disclosure is in accordance with any provision of, or made by virtue of, an enactment other than this Article.

(5) A person shall not be taken to have disclosed protected information by reason only that another person infers, from any entry, record or marking made in accordance with the Schedule, that the entry, record or marking is made as a consequence of the issue of a full certificate.

(6) The Minister may by Order prescribe circumstances in which the disclosure of protected information does not constitute an offence under this Article.

(7) An Order under paragraph (6) may permit –

(a) disclosure to specified persons or persons of a specified description;

(b) disclosure for specified purposes;

(d) disclosure by specified persons or persons of a specified description.

(8) A person guilty of an offence under this Article is liable to a fine of level 3 on the standard scale.[15]

19 Procedure and rules of court

(1) The Court shall –

(a) determine applications under this Law in private;

(b) determine applications on the papers unless it considers that an oral hearing is necessary.

(2) The power to make rules of court under Article 13 of the Royal Court (Jersey) Law 1948[16] shall include the power to make rules for the purposes of this Law, and shall include the power to specify any matter that, under this Law, shall or may be specified by the Court.

20 Orders

The Minister may by Order prescribe anything that shall or may be prescribed under this Law.

21 Consequential amendments

The States may by Regulations amend any enactment or modify any enactment in relation to –

(a) persons of an acquired gender; or

(b) any description of such persons.

22 Supplementary powers

Any power under this Law of the States to make Regulations or of the Minister to make Orders includes power to make incidental, supplementary, consequential or transitional provision or savings.

23 Citation

This Law may be cited as the Gender Recognition (Jersey) Law 2010.

SCHEDULE

(Article 9)

alteration of registers

1 Re-registration of birth

(1) This paragraph applies where the birth of a person to whom a full certificate is issued was registered in Jersey.

(2) The Court shall send a copy of the full certificate to the Superintendent Registrar.

(3) The Superintendent Registrar shall furnish the registrar with the following particulars, contained in the full certificate –

(a) the person’s acquired gender; and

(b) the person’s acquired name.

(4) The registrar shall –

(a) re-register the birth so as to record the particulars furnished;

(b) mark the person’s original birth entry “re-registered by the Superintendent Registrar”;

(c) make such other entries as may be necessary to record and make traceable the connection between the original birth entry and the re-registered entry; and

(d) amend accordingly any index of birth entries that he or she keeps.

(5) The entries and marking required by sub-paragraph (4) shall be such that the reason for re-registration would not be disclosed –

(a) to a person searching the register or any index; or

(b) in a certified copy of the person’s birth certificate.

(6) Where, pursuant to Article 6, there is a correction of a full certificate that affects the person’s acquired name –

(a) the Court shall send a copy of the corrected full certificate to the Superintendent Registrar;

(b) the Superintendent Registrar shall furnish the registrar with the corrected acquired name; and

(7) Where, pursuant to Article 7, a full certificate is revoked –

(a) the Court shall send a copy of its order revoking the certificate to the Superintendent Registrar; and

(b) the registrar shall, at the direction of the Superintendent Registrar, cancel any entries and marking made under sub-paragraph (4).

(8) The Superintendent Registrar is the informant, for the purposes of Article 72 of the 2001 Law, of any re-registration or correction under this paragraph.

(9) In this paragraph, a reference to the “registrar”, in relation to a person, means the person appointed under Article 42 of the 2001 Law who keeps the register in which the person’s birth was registered.

2 Adopted Children Register

(1) This paragraph applies where the adoption of a person to whom a full certificate is issued is entered in the Adopted Children Register.

(2) The Court shall send a copy of the full certificate to the Superintendent Registrar.

(3) The Superintendent Registrar shall cause the entry for the person in the Adopted Children Register to be amended so as to record –

(a) the person’s acquired gender; and

(b) the person’s acquired name,

and shall amend accordingly the index to the Adopted Children Register.

(4) The entries and marking required by sub-paragraph (3) shall be such that the reason for re-registration would not be disclosed –

(a) to a person searching the index; or

(b) in a certified copy of the entry in the Adopted Children Register.

(5) Where, pursuant to Article 6, there is a correction of a full certificate that affects the person’s acquired name –

(a) the Court shall send a copy of the corrected full certificate to the Superintendent Registrar; and

(b) the Superintendent Registrar shall cause the amended entry made under sub-paragraph (3) to be corrected accordingly.

(6) Where, pursuant to Article 7, a full certificate is revoked –

(a) the Court shall send a copy of its order revoking the certificate to the Superintendent Registrar; and

(b) the Superintendent Registrar shall cancel any entries and marking made under sub-paragraph (3).

(7) In this paragraph, “Adopted Children Register” has the same meaning as in the Adoption (Jersey) Law 1961[17].

3 Public Registry of Contracts, Register of Procurations and Register of Obligations

(1) This paragraph applies where, before the issue of a full certificate to a person, the person’s name was recorded in the books of the Public Registry of Contracts, the Register of Procurations or the Register of Obligations.

(2) The Court shall direct the Judicial Greffier to –

(a) record the person’s acquired name and, if appropriate, the person’s acquired gender, in each of those Registers in which it appears; and

(b) make such other entries as may be necessary to make traceable the connection between the person’s name as it originally appeared and the person’s acquired name.

(3) Where, pursuant to Article 6, there is a correction of a full certificate that affects the person’s acquired name the Court shall direct the Judicial Greffier to correct any record or other entry made under sub-paragraph (2) accordingly.

(4) Where, pursuant to Article 7, a full certificate is revoked, the Court shall direct the Judicial Greffier to cancel any record or other entry made under sub-paragraph (2).

Endnotes

Table of Legislation History

Legislation	Year and No	Commencement
Gender Recognition (Jersey) Law 2010	L.1/2010	21 May 2010 (R&O.38/2010)
Civil Partnership (Jersey) Law 2012	L.4/2012	2 April 2012
Civil Partnership (Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) (Jersey) Regulations 2013	R&O.16/2013	30 January 2013
Discrimination (Sex and Related Characteristics) (Jersey) Regulations 2015	R&O.61/2015	1 September 2015
Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Jersey) Law 2016	L.1/2016	20 September 2016 (R&O.98/2016)

Table of Renumbered Provisions

Original	Current
21(1)	Spent, omitted
21(2)	21
Schedule 1	Schedule
Schedule 2	Spent, omitted

Table of Endnote References

[1] chapter 12.600

[2] Article 2(2) amended by L.4/2012

[3] Article 3(2) amended by L.4/2012

[4] chapter 12.650

[5] Article 4A inserted by L.4/2012

[6] L.4/2012

[7] Article 5 substituted by L.4/2012

[8] Article 15 repealed by R&O.61/2015

[9] Article 17 heading amended by L.4/2012

[10] Article 17(2) substituted by L.4/2012

[11] Article 17(3) substituted by L.4/2012

[12] Article 17(4) substituted by L.4/2012

[13] Article 17(5) substituted by L.4/2012

[14] Article 17(6) inserted by L.4/2012, amended by R&O.16/2013

[15] Article 18(8) amended by L.1/2016

[16] chapter 07.770

[17] chapter 12.050

Page Last Updated: 30 Apr 2019

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Gender Recognition (Jersey) Law 2010