Requesting a change of surname
Service description
If you wish to change your surname and/or first name outside the provisions of civil law (e.g. not in the case of marriage or divorce), you must apply for this change of name under public law.
Please note:
- Name changes can only be carried out for Germans in the sense of the Basic Law, stateless persons, homeless foreigners, foreign refugees or persons entitled to asylum.
- Only important reasons justify the change of name. The reasons must therefore be explained in detail in the application.
- For a person with limited legal capacity, the legal representative (father, mother, guardian, custodian) submits the application; a guardian requires the approval of the family court for this, a custodian of the guardianship court. A person with limited legal capacity who has reached the age of 16 must be heard by the family court or guardianship court on the application. The court's approval and proof of the result of the court hearing of the applicant must be attached to the application.
- The application must contain a statement as to whether a change of name has been applied for previously, when, if applicable, and to which authority.
- The applicant must also declare that he/she is aware that the change of name or the rejection or withdrawal of the application is subject to a fee.
Please seek advice from the authority when completing the application if there is any ambiguity.
What documents are needed?
- Proof that the applicant is either German in the sense of the Basic Law or stateless, homeless foreigner, foreign refugee, person entitled to asylum (e.g. citizenship certificate, passport, identity card, child ID card)
- Spätaussiedlerbescheinigung or ID card for displaced persons (for Spätaussiedler and displaced persons)
- a certified copy of the birth record for the applicant and for all persons to whom the surname change is to apply; the documents must be recent
- if the applicant is or was married, the marriage certificate
- In the case of a change of name for family law reasons, birth and marriage certificates of the family members whose name the applicant wishes to adopt must also be submitted
- for persons who have reached the age of fourteen, a certificate of good conduct in accordance with the Federal Central Register Act (to be applied for at the competent registration office; the certificate of good conduct will be sent directly to the name change authority by the issuing authority)
Please note:
The documents should be submitted in the original in each case. All application documents remain in principle in the authority. The original documents submitted will be returned to you after the copies have been certified.
In individual cases, further documents and evidence may be required for processing the application. You can obtain information on this from the relevant name change authority.
What are the fees?
The amount of the fee shall be based on the administrative expense and the significance, economic value or other benefit of the official act for the applicant.
Legal basis