Warned they could face problems at U.S. border
Story by Victoria Bisset
October 2, 2025
My Note: I have a US Passport (I am a citizen) with the "X" Marker. I am studying to see what lies ahead for me. If Canada to reciprocates, I will be denied entry. I guess could happen. Update - See below
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The Canadian government has updated its travel advice to warn citizens with gender-neutral passports that their documents may no longer be accepted at the U.S. border.
“While the Government of Canada issues passports with a ‘X’ gender identifier, it cannot guarantee your entry or transit through other countries,” Canada’s new travel advisory for the United States reads. “You might face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the ‘X’ gender identifier.”
The page also states that U.S. federal systems “are changing to no longer accept markers of gender identity,” adding that information on the sex an individual was assigned at birth may now be requested on U.S. forms and processes such as visa and passport applications, as well as passenger manifests.
Canada’s Department of Global Affairs did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment on when the travel advice was updated. However, archived versions of the website indicate that it was changed within the past 10 days.
Within hours of his inauguration this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. recognizes only two sexes. Days later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suspended passport applications using a gender-neutral marker, reversing a move by the Biden administration to allow transgender, nonbinary, intersex or gender-nonconforming people to use the “X” designation, rather than male or female, without providing medical documents.
The policy is being challenged in court. In June, a federal judge temporarily blocked the policy, ruling that transgender and nonbinary Americans should be able to reflect their gender identities on newly issued passports. In September, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to let it enforce the policy.
U.S. passports bearing the “X” marker remain valid until their expiration date, according to the State Department.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency responsible for inspecting passports at ports of entry, has previously denied that international LGBTQ+ visitors would face additional scrutiny or be detained when entering the country. Several countries, including Denmark, Germany, Finland and Ireland, have nonetheless issued travel advisories to citizens with the “X” gender designation this year.
Canada introduced the “X” designation for passports, travel documents, citizenship certificates and permanent resident cards in 2019, with the government saying at the time that “Canadian citizens and residents deserve to be respected and have the opportunity to live according to their own identity.”
The Canadian government said in January that about 3,600 Canadians are estimated to have the “X” designation on their passports, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
In August, Canada updated its policy for Nexus travel cards, which allow expedited border entry at U.S. and Canadian borders, meaning that Canadians with the “X” identifier on their passports now have to select either male or female when applying for a new card.
CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Thursday on the updated Canadian travel advice. In a statement to The Washington Post in April, it said: “A foreign traveler’s gender as indicated on their passport and their personal beliefs about sexuality do not render a person inadmissible. Claims to the contrary are false.” It added that “travelers must present an official government-issued travel document and be the rightful bearer of that document when seeking entry at a U.S. Port of Entry.”
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