Basic information on diagnosis and such

[redfred]

Hello again,
This may sound silly but I need very basic information on everything.
I should have searched more before posting this but my Dutch language level is still very limited, so please allow me to ask here.
and I believe it isn't only me who needs these info

I just learned that I’ll need a referral from my GP to go to a gender clinic, to eventually get diagnosed and/or get treatment.
I also heard that there are some rounds of examinations to prove your ”transness”, but what will they do each round?
Will they just ask questions, or will there be some physical exams?
What will they ask? What should I expect?
Where can I get these information?

I just want to get diagnosed, and I’d like to know how to proceed and what my options would be.
Either way the waitlists are terribly long, right?

So it would be very nice if any of you guys can share some links, information or experiences here.

[Annabel]

Hi redfred,
Not a silly question at all, because most if not all pages are in Dutch indeed.

I would suggest to first have a look at the English site of transvisie.nl or contact them:
https://www.transvisie.nl/transitie/alg ... oreigners/
which besides some of the basics, also gives more information about referrals etc.

Also use Google translate on the following page of the AmsterdamUMC, which will give you the steps involved:
https://www.vumc.nl/zorg/expertisecentr ... r-stap.htm

Regarding the things you already mentioned; yes a referral from your GP is needed, which will put you on a waiting list, as most gender clinics have a waiting list of about 2 years unfortunately. As for the first phase, once you are treated in a clinic it will involve some psychological tests, just basic once, mostly to verify whether you are emotionally strong enough to go through a transition. Yes, this will involve questions about your life and how you deal with things in life. The physical exams will only come after this phase if you wish to go for HRT, but again these test will only be to check your health etc.

[redfred]

Thank you Annabel!

Thanks for the links, yes Google translate always helps me. The AmsterdamUMC pages are actually very helpful!

I contacted transvisie.nl and asked some questions before joining this forum, but they didn’t give me any answer.
Instead they told me about this T-Nederland forum and said that I could ask questions here

So either way I will have to wait for about 2 years then.. hope my Dutch will be better by then!
I'll keep posting here if I get any additional info especially for foreigners

[Nate_0]

Hey. You may want to contact your preferred treatment centre to see if they can help you in English or whatever other language you are comfortable speaking. A lot of the diagnostic process is therapy heavy, and contrary to what people in shops or the street may come off as, not all therapists are fluent in English or comfortable treating someone who doesn't speak Dutch. In other words, please make sure you can receive the help you need when the time comes, especially since you're not yet conversational in Dutch and cannot guarantee whether you will be two years from now.

Having said that, it might be a good idea to get a single contact person involved who is familiar with the proceedings in the Netherlands, fluent in Dutch, and who has sufficient English to translate everything. That way, you'll get all the information you need without any mishaps because of the language barrier.

[redfred]

Thank you Nate_0!

Yup English is my second language actually but it’s fine like I’ve been living without my first language (Japanese FYI) for many years.
I was also thinking of hiring a medical interpreter if I can’t get access to English speaking doctors/therapists, but yeah it sounds great if I could find a contact person to get involved..
We’ll see how good my Dutch gets in 2 years anyway

Just watched this video with English subtitle. They are open to immigrants apparently!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOQlCWXb5x8
I’ll try the “mainstream” care first but I guess this might be an option for immigrants and foreigners if it doesn’t go well.

[redfred]

Hi again, thanks everyone for coming to read this.

Let me write a bit more about my situation;

I’m not thinking of HRT (at least for now), I just want an official diagnosis to change my legal gender.
This might sound a bit weird but I have very little physical dysphoria, because I already look gender-neutral. My body has very few characteristics which are specific to a certain gender.
and that’s one of the reasons I could never believe I belong to my assigned gender and grew a desire to change it officially.

Therefore I’m also searching information about the conditions and process of changing legal gender with little or no physical transition.
This page says it is possible to change your registered gender before getting a Dutch citizenship.
https://www.denhaag.nl/en/certificates- ... broad-.htm
I’m planning to eventually get a citizenship though it would be definitely nice if I can do that sooner.

[Annabel]

Hi redfred,
Of course depending on the specifics of your situation there might be some bureaucratic issues with the paperwork (the Dutch love bureaucracy! ), but the "statement by an expert" or in Dutch "De deskundigenverklaring" can be obtained outside the waiting list "game".
See this page (again in Dutch )
https://www.vumc.nl/zorg/expertisecentr ... slacht.htm
It involves making an appointment to see someone from the genderteam, who will assert your desire to change your gender. Note that the statement itself will cost you 315 Euros in total and is only valid for 6 months.

As for the clinic your movie is about; they very recently changed their aim and now solely treat homeless people, refugees, trans people without residence papers, and sex workers.

[Irene_de_Vreede]

A small addition to Annabel's post. Please keep in mind that the change has to be done at the place of birth, that might be a little more complicated for someone born in Japan. I believe this can be arranged through the Embassy, but I'm not familiar with the details. Somewhere on this forum must be more info available (in Dutch off course)

[Annabel]

As I read the rules this only applies to Dutch citizens, as in -born here-. If you are a foreigner or ex-pat, your records are hold at The Hague. But of course it is always a good idea to check, double check and even triple check, e.g. with the embassy

[Nate_0]

I know @Ender was born outside of the Netherlands, although I do think he is a Dutch citizen so his situation may have been somewhat different. Regardless, he may be able to help you along. I also think he posted about his process some years ago (2017?), so you could look for those entries.

The assessment by the genderteam Annabel linked to includes a series of appointments, considering that you aren't a VUMC patient. This seems to imply you need to run the gamut (even if only partially) to get your name changed rather than simply find someone who affirms your transgender status. In that case I also don't know about the waiting lists or if perhaps entering the official traject would be better. Annabel's also right in saying that these are the rules in place for Dutch citizens, OR for those who have been here for at least a year with a legally valid residence permit. There is no supplementary information for those who fall outside of these categories.

I don't know your current status of residency beyond you not being Dutch, but considering the forum's primary audience of Dutch and Belgian citizens, it might be a good idea to contact Transvisie and see if they have more information on transition for non-Dutch citizens in the Netherlands.

Have you contacted your country of birth/nationality? They will need to play a part in the process as well, so you'll probably want to check their requirements too.