A total of 205 applications were submitted in March and April, representing an increase of 189% compared with the same two months in 2025, when 71 requests were recorded.

Figures from the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN), reported by CNN Portugal, show that only 13 of the applications made during these two months involved young people aged 16 or 17.

The increase can also be seen across the first half of the year. Between January and June 2026, the IRN received 378 applications, up from 269 during the same period in 2025 – a rise of 40.5%.

The number recorded in the first six months of this year is already equivalent to around 68% of all 555 changes registered throughout 2025.

The sharpest increase coincided with political discussions over possible changes to the current law.

Chega presented a proposal in January that would revoke the gender self-determination system introduced in 2018. It would also require applicants to provide a report confirming a diagnosis of gender identity disorder. The proposal has been criticised in a technical opinion issued by the Portuguese Medical Association.

PSD and CDS-PP introduced their own proposals in March, creating the possibility of a parliamentary majority in favour of changing the existing rules. The bills were approved at the first stage that same month.

Most applications submitted during the first half of 2026 involved a change from female to male. There were 206 requests to register as male and 172 to register as female.

Despite the overall rise, the number of applications involving minors fell slightly. Twenty-eight requests were submitted by people under 18 between January and June, compared with 31 during the same period last year – a decrease of 9.7%.

Under the law currently in force, young people aged 16 and 17 can change their registered name and sex with permission from their legal representatives and a declaration from a doctor or psychologist. The proposals being discussed in Parliament would remove this option.

The planned revision has led to political disagreement and criticism from human rights organisations. The Portuguese Government has also confirmed that no impact study was carried out on the current system before the proposals were presented.