In a rare instance, the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Bengaluru received a gender change request on a passport after a resident underwent sex-change surgery to become a woman. This is perhaps the first time that a passport is being rectified for gender change after a surgical procedure in Bengaluru since the process became digitised, The Times of India reported.
A male turned female requested for her passport to be updated with her new gender in Bengaluru. (HT File)
For the gender to be changed on a passport, officials are required to examine supporting documents and a note from the surgeon who performed the procedure. In this case, the 28-year-old woman underwent a sex-reassignment surgery or a vaginoplasty at a hospital in Tamil Nadu and produced paperwork for the same.
However, the hospital shut down after the COVID-19 induced pandemic crisis. Officials also verified the same and found it to be true. Even with this complication, authorities at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in Bengaluru's Lalbagh said they worked swiftly to process the request and said they “were keen on issuing the passport without disappointing the applicant.” They then advised the individual to undergo an examination at a government hospital in Nelamangala, where her new gender status can be certified by a doctor.
Once this was done, the papers and the gender-change request were processed successfully. The woman's new and updated passport will be issued shortly after the police can verify her residential address.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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Home/Cities/Bengaluru News/Bengaluru processes passport with gender change for man turned woman: Report
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