Several European countries have updated their travel advisories for transgender travelers seeking to enter the U.S. amid President Donald Trump’s “two-sexes” executive order and the administration’s immigration crackdown.
Finland, Denmark, the U.K. and Germany are all urging cautionary planning for transgender people when traveling to the U.S.
“When applying for an ESTA or visa to the United States, there are two gender designations to choose from: male or female,” the Danish travel advisory said on its website.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is the system that screens passengers before they travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program.
“If you have the gender designation X in your passport, or you have changed your gender, it is recommended that you contact the U.S. Embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed,” the website reads.
Finland also updated its website in recent weeks.
“If the gender listed on the applicant’s passport does not match the gender assigned at birth, the US authorities may deny the application for a travel permit or visa,” Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its website.
The new advisory does not explicitly mention the Trump administration, but it comes as the U.S. State Department aligned its policies with President Trump’s goals of only having “male” or “female” on American passports.
According to an advisory on its website, Germany issued a warning for transgender travelers to exercise caution when traveling to some countries, but it did not explicitly state the U.S. or mention President Trump.
“For example, transgender travelers may encounter difficulties entering certain countries if they present a passport with a name and photo that no longer corresponds to their gender identity,” their information for LGBTQ travelers states.
So far, seven transgender Americans have sued the Trump administration over the policy, which the American Civil Liberties Union filed on their behalf in February.
Trump signed the executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” in one of his first actions in January. It reiterates that the administration recognizes there are only two sexes, male and female, defined strictly by biological characteristics determined at conception. It mandates that federal agencies enforce this binary understanding of sex across the federal government, including in healthcare, education and military service.
Trump has also faced judicial pushback for his nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration as he carries out his mass deportation program targeting anyone living in the country unauthorized.
