A record number of people changed their legal gender and/or their name in Belgium last year.
569 people officially changed their gender in 2022: men changed their gender to women or vice versa. It’s especially among people in the 18 to 29 age bracket that gender change was recorded.
In 2022 a record number of people also changed their given name or surname. 5,104 citizens applied to change their given name, while 1,120 people were eager to go under a new surname.
Procedures to allow name changes were relaxed in 2018. Ever since the number of people applying has increased. If you want to change your given name, you need to apply to your local authority. The procedure usually lasts three months. Changing your surname is more complicated and requires good motivation. Here the procedure can last up to a year.