Overview

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection instructed carriers to record either “M” or “F” when a passport shows an “X” or lacks a sex indicator.
• CBP says the directive complies with the executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
• A Massachusetts federal court ruled in June that passports bearing an “X” marker remain valid travel documents despite administrative changes.
• CBP stated that travelers with authorized, valid documents continue to be processed as before, while Trusted Traveler Program applicants must choose male or female.
• Legal advocates caution that the mismatch could cause confusion at airline check-in and border control for people whose passports display an “X.”