The New Zealand Parliament passed legislation Thursday that will allow people to amend the gender identity on their birth certificates. The country first allowed self-identification on birth certificates in 2018 but required applicants to prove they underwent medical treatment to align their sex and gender identities. The Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2017, which was unanimously passed, eliminates that requirement.

The bill was first introduced in 2017 and originally focused on access to digital information and reviews of burial and cremation. However, following the first reading in December 2017, members of the select committee were urged to include the birth certificate change in the bill through a petition.

Before the provisions take effect, the parliament must work out who will be allowed to support gender-change applications for young people, how non-binary and cultural identities will be marked on birth certificates and what the requirements will be for people seeking to change their sex more than once.

Internal affairs minister Jan Tinetti remarked, “The passing of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationship Registration Bill brings with it a more accessible and inclusive process for people to change the sex recorded on their birth certificate. This law change will make a real difference for transgender, non-binary, takatāpui [LGBT] and intersex New Zealanders.” Since the changes only apply to New Zealand birth certificates, New Zealanders born overseas will not yet be able to self-identify. The minister stated that work will be done to address this issue.

New Zealand joins around a handful of other countries around the world that have made it easier to change one’s gender identity on state documents.