Spain on Thursday joined a small but growing club of nations that allow people to change their gender on their ID card through a simple administrative declaration. Several countries have scrapped requirements for people who want to change the gender registered at their birth to undergo medical or psychological treatment. AFP looks at the situation worldwide: According to the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), at least 25 UN member states “allow for legal gender recognition without prohibitive requirements”. But only a handful of countries allow transgender people to change their status with a simple declaration. In some countries, the legal and administrative process can take years and may include requirements such as psychiatric diagnosis, hormone treatment, gender reassignment surgery or even sterilisation.