After years of turbulent political debate, the new law came into force last summer. It makes it easier to change legal gender. A diagnosis of gender dysphoria is no longer required and the age limit has been lowered from 18 to 16 years.
Lea Larsson, an expert at RFSL, notes that many no longer need to take the long route "via five years of care".
Many who are in need of such a law are standing and treading water in life. It can be very important to have a passport that matches who you are, says Larsson.
So far, the Social Welfare Board has made 201 decisions on changing legal gender. Of these, five or six have been rejections.
It's about the applications not being complete, says department head Pär Ödman at the Social Welfare Board.
According to the authority, one can currently expect six weeks to get a decision – if no supplements are needed. For the Tax Authority, it then takes a couple of weeks to change the personal identity number. So far, 199 have been changed.
"Pent-up demand"
The number of people who applied in July and August – 559 people – is roughly what RFSL counted on.
It was a pent-up demand, says Larsson.
During the full year 2024, when the old law applied, 618 people applied for a change of legal gender. However, that figure is not directly comparable, as it also includes applications for medical interventions.
Ödman states that it is too early to draw any conclusions about what will become a normal case influx.
But it's not an unreasonable thought that there was a pent-up desire to apply, he says.
Of the 559 applications that have come to the Social Welfare Board up to the end of August, 317 have applied to change from male to female and 242 from female to male.
Of the 559 who applied, 102 are under 18 years old. Among them, it is slightly more common to want to change legal gender from female to male.
Certificate required
In order for an application to be approved, a certificate from a licensed doctor, psychologist, psychotherapist or health and medical care curator is required. They must certify that the gender shown in the population register does not match the person's perceived gender identity and that the person can be expected to live in the perceived gender identity for a foreseeable time.
There is room for improvement here, according to RFSL.
Most have received good reception and got their certificates, but some have met with some resistance, says Larsson.
There is a great need for education of healthcare staff.
