"I'm transgender and a US citizen. Do I need to worry about my passport?"
* If you already have a passport, and it doesn't need renewal soon: Do nothing. Currently you are fine.
* If you don't have a passport, and have no immediate plans to leave the US: Consider doing nothing.
* If you've NEVER applied for a passport:
* If you have a passport and need to renew:
* If you mailed in a renewal/application in the last month and haven't heard back yet:
Now things get complicated/upsetting.
(1/4)
If the State dept has any record of you ever having changed gender markers— *even if you were previously issued a correct-gender passport*— all reports say Rubio's State dept simply takes your application, your old passport, *and supporting documents like birth certificates*, and *won't give them back*. These have been "on hold" for weeks; there's no sign what they intend to do or when. The ACLU (who *is* suing) recommends trans ppl NOT renew passports right now.
https://bsky.app/profile/aclu.org/post/3lgixjvnwm223
(2/4)
There are some *limited* options you still have. If you're in one of:
Michigan
Minnesota
New York
Vermont
Washington
You can get a "Enhanced Drivers License"¹ (or in NY at least, a "Enhanced Non-Driver ID"). This is proof of US citizenship within the US. If you have an EDL *or* a tribal ID, this is sufficient to cross into Canada², or to re-enter the US from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean. These only work by *land or sea* (not air).
(3/4)
¹ https://www.dhs.gov/enhanced-drivers-licenses-what-are-they
² https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html#:~:text=Electronic%20Travel%20Authorization.-,us%20citizens,-If%20you%20are
The EDL/EDID helps because it is issued by a state; even with the Federal govt run by fascists you can still get one (with a correct gender marker!). If you are trans and live in one of these states I recommend getting one asap.
Caveats/weirdness:
- It turns out US citizens can *enter* Canada by land or sea with only a birth certificate and an ID… but the US might not allow you back in³ ⁉️❓ ❗
- I am not a lawyer or citable source, data checked as of 2025-02-03
(4/4)
³ https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1467?language=en_US
@mcc When I last checked (~2011-2015 maybe?), I think it was something like "we could let you enter Canada on a US DL but we won't because the US won't let you back in". I don't remember seeing anything about EDLs.
Weirdly, I can't seem to find anything on gc.ca explicitly stating that you can enter on a US EDL: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html does not mention them at all (but they likey fall under "proof of [US] citizenship"); the closest I've found is https://travel.gc.ca/returning/customs/entering-canada#id which has them in a list of documents that might not be enough to convince the airline to let you board, suggesting that they might otherwise be sufficient for travel.
mcc
SnowFox