Resume birth name

  • Service description

    Have you divorced or ended your civil partnership and would like to change your name? If your birth name or the name you had before your marriage or civil partnership was not your family name (married name or partnership name), you have the following options:

    • You can take back your maiden name or the name you used until your married name was chosen.
    • You can add or prefix the following names to your married name:
      • Your maiden name or
      • the name used at the time of the declaration on the determination of the married name.
    • You can discard a prefixed or appended companion name during the marriage.

  • Process flow

    You can submit a declaration of name change at any registry office. You must have it notarized either by a notary or by a registrar. The declaration takes effect as soon as it arrives at the registry office.

    You will receive a certificate of the name change.

    The marriage register and the birth register are updated.

  • Requirements

    • Divorce or
    • Cancellation of the civil partnership

  • What documents are needed?

    • Passport or identity card,
    • additionally at the registry office that keeps the marriage register:
      • legally binding divorce decree,
    • additionally in the case of a visit to another registry office:
      • certified printout from the marriage register and the legally binding divorce decree or
      • notarized printout from the marriage register with registered divorce.

  • What deadlines do I have to observe?

    none

  • Legal basis

  • Short text

    Have you divorced or ended your civil partnership and would like to change your name? If your birth name or the name you had before your marriage or civil partnership was not your family name (married name or civil partnership name), you can:

    • take your maiden name or the name you used until your married name was chosen.
    • Prefix or add the following names to the married name:
      • Your maiden name or
      • the name used at the time of the declaration on the determination of the married name.
    • You can discard a prefixed or appended companion name during the marriage.

Responsible departments

Responsible employees