Surgery or hormones no longer required for legal gender change in Czechia

Starting in July, people in Czechia will no longer need surgery or hormone treatment to change their gender legally, according to new guidelines issued by the Health Ministry following a 2024 Constitutional Court ruling.The court ruled that requiring surgery and sterilization violated human dignity and struck down those parts of the law.

The advocacy group Trans*parent welcomed the change, calling sterilization inhumane, but said legal uncertainty for trans people remains.

Under the new process, a person must still receive a diagnosis of transsexuality from a sexologist in order to change their gender officially. Diagnosing transsexuality typically takes six to twelve months.