Canada Warns Travelers With X Marker on Passports They May Face Obstacles in US

The Canadian Department of Global Affairs has updated its travel advice for people planning to travel to the United States, specifically warning people who have the gender marker “X” on their passports that they may face obstacles or restrictions while traveling abroad.

The X marker is specifically granted to transgender or nonbinary individuals who do not want to place a “male” or “female” marker on their documents. The Canadian government has had the option for people to place X in that spot since 2019.

The travel guidance was changed to say:

While the Government of Canada issues passports with a “X” gender identifier, it cannot guarantee your entry or transit through other countries. You might face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the “X” gender identifier.

The guidance also warns Canadians that “current systems used by some countries and travel companies may not recognize the ‘X’ gender identifier,” and that they “may still be asked to provide your sex/gender information as either male or female when travelling.”

The change comes after several months of anti-LGBTQ actions by the Trump administration — including an executive order early in Trump’s second term attempting to ensure the federal government only recognizes two sexes, male and female.

That executive order would have put an end to the U.S. allowing individuals to place the X marker on their passports. However, a court ruling earlier this year has delayed that rule, allowing some individuals under certain conditions to place the X marker on their documents.

Around 3,600 Canadian citizens currently have the X marker on their passports. A spokesperson for the Department of Global Affairs said the notice was not just updated for the U.S. but for “all destinations” on September 23. However, the U.S. page was not updated until September 29, the CBC reported, and the change to that page specifically likely wouldn’t have been required were it not for the Trump administration’s policy changes, given that U.S. passports had also allowed, for a time, the use of the X marker.

Jennifer Young, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Canada, refused to comment on the changes, dubiously claiming that the U.S.’s current government shutdown prevented her from doing so.

“Due the current lapse in appropriations, we are not in a position to provide comment or schedule interviews at the time,” Young told the CBC.

This isn’t the first time the Canadian government has adjusted its advice to travelers going to the U.S.

In the summer of 2023, for example, Canada issued another advisory to LGBTQ travelers, warning them about Republican-controlled states that had passed a multitude of anti-trans laws, including restrictions on gender-affirming care.

“Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons. Check relevant state and local laws,” the government told its residents at the time.

And earlier this year, Canada and several European countries issued advisories to their travelers about the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, amid multiple instances of travelers being taken into custody by immigration officials, with some being held by the U.S. for several weeks.