Apply for a change of surname as a displaced or late resettled person, their spouse or descendant

The surnames of displaced persons and late repatriates are often modified based on gender or family relationships, contain elements that are foreign to German naming laws, and therefore do not comply with German naming laws.

You can change your name if you belong to one of these groups:

• Displaced Persons
• Late Repatriates
• their spouses
• their children or grandchildren

By submitting a declaration to the Federal Administrative Office or your local civil registry office, you can:

• Remove any parts of your name that are not common in Germany
• take the original form of the name, modified according to gender or kinship
• adopt a German-language form of your last name
• adopt the last name in a German translation
• choose a common last name and, if applicable, choose an additional name for the spouse

Your own children under the age of 5 will also receive the new last name. Children between the ages of 5 and 14 may choose to adopt the new surname or continue to use their old name. Adolescents over the age of 14 cannot automatically adopt the new surname but must apply for the name change themselves. However, your consent as their legal guardian is required for this.

You may choose a new name only once. You cannot repeat or withdraw your declaration of name change. Changing your name through a declaration of name change is voluntary. You may also choose to keep your current name.