Millions of passports Donald Trump banned in executive order are still recognized in all these countries

When he became president a second time, Donald Trump was eager to sign off more than 200 executive orders on his first day in office.

Many of these reversed certain policies Joe Biden's administration had ushered through - including an order for non-binary people to be recognized with an 'X' gender marker on passports.

However, Donald Trump's 'Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government' order means that the 'third gender' X option will no longer exist.

A 2021 survey found that 1.2 million Americans defined themselves as non-binary, and those who wished to put 'X' as their gender on their passports were able to do so that same year.

The first X gender passport was issued in October 2021, something which was hailed as a 'momentous step' at the time by diplomat Jessica Stern.

But now, these 'third gender' passport applications have been frozen.

Dozens of countries still recognize a third gender on official documents, including passports (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The US Travel Department of State updated its website to reflect these changes in January, writing: "Under the executive order, we will no longer issue US passports or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs) with an X marker.

"We will only issue passports with an M or F sex marker that match the customer's biological sex at birth."

It continued: "If you submit a passport application requesting an X marker or requesting a sex marker that differs from the sex marker at your birth, you may experience delays getting your passport."

However, the department clarified that 'passports with an X marker will remain valid until its expiration date'.

There are still some 22 countries, however, which recognize non-binary people with adjustments to their passports, and have been doing so for longer than the US ever did.

The US will no longer process passport applications from non-binary people (Douglas Sacha/Getty Images)

One of these countries is Denmark, which has offered the option of an X marker on passports since September 2014.

This is available to all Danish citizens, including those in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which is rather ironic, considering Trump has been outspoken in his hopes of buying out the latter.

Countries that recognize non-binary passports

Along with Denmark, the following countries recognize non-binary people's passports:

• Australia: One of the first countries to offer an 'X' gender marker on passports, doing so since 2011.
• New Zealand: As of 2023, allows an 'X' marker on passports via a statutory declaration.
• Belgium: A 2019 Constitutional Court ruling allows non-binary people to remove gender from ID cards, though a third gender isn’t officially recognized.
• Finland: A 2019 court ruling permits people to choose an 'X' on passports.
• Germany: The 2024 Self-Determination Act allows gender marker changes without medical/legal approval; 'diverse' is indicated by 'X' on passports.
• Iceland: Introduced an 'X' marker in 2022 following a 2019 self-determination law.
• Malta: Recognizes a third gender under a 2018 legal update.
• Netherlands: The first Dutch citizen received an 'X' passport marker in 2018 and plans are in place for gender-free identity cards by 2025.
• Norway: Introduced the 'X' gender marker on passports and legal documents in 2022.
• Argentina: Implemented a gender 'X' option on passports in July 2021.
• Brazil: Offers an 'X' option on ID cards.
• Canada: Introduced a gender-neutral 'X' marker on passports in 2017.
• Chile: Allows self-determination for gender identity since 2022; 'X' appears on birth certificates.
• Colombia: Has recognized a third gender as 'no binario' or 'NB' on IDs and birth certificates since 2022.
• Costa Rica: Has recognized an 'X' passport gender option since 2018.
• Mexico: Began issuing passports with the 'X' marker in May 2023.
• Uruguay: Allows gender self-determination for all official documents.
• Bangladesh: Since 2013, Bangladesh legally recognizes hijra people as a third gender on passports and documents, though this does not extend to all trans people.
• India: Following a 2014 Supreme Court ruling, India recognizes a third gender with 'O' on official documentation.
• Nepal: Issued its first third-gender passport in 2015 with an 'others' category.
• Pakistan: The 2018 Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act allows individuals to identify as either male, female, both, or neither, signaled as an 'X' in federal documents.

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