Name

Would you like to have your first name and surname changed? If you have an important reason for doing so, then you can submit an application.

Your surname and first name can be changed. You must have an important reason for the change. Good cause exists if the private interests of you as the bearer of the name in the name change that are worthy of protection outweigh the public interest or a private interest of third parties in retaining your name.

• There is an important or serious reason that justifies the name change.
• You are a German citizen.
• They are entitled to asylum, foreign refugees, stateless persons, homeless foreigners or quota refugees.

You must apply for a change of your first or last name in writing to the name change authority. In municipalities with more than 7,500 inhabitants, the magistrate is responsible; in all other respects, the district committee is responsible.

• For minors, the legal representative submits the application.
• Explain in detail the reasons for your request. The authority must weigh up and decide, taking into account all the circumstances of the individual case. The public interest in retaining the name weighs all the more heavily the longer the name has been used.
• Your competent authority will collect an advance on fees and then carry out the necessary investigations. In the case of people over 14 years of age, it involves various agencies, such as the police. It obtains information from the list of debtors at the district court and, if necessary, from other bodies.
• If the requirements are met, you will receive a certificate of the name change. When they are handed over, the name change takes effect. Otherwise, you will receive a rejection notice.
• The name change authority will notify other bodies of your name change. These include:
  • the registration office,
  • the registry office that keeps the birth register,
  • the registry office that keeps the marriage register or the civil partnership register.
• As soon as the name change has taken effect, you will need to have various documents (identity card, passport, vehicle registration document) changed. You will have to apply for these changes yourself.

The costs are determined by the administrative effort in each individual case. The fee range is 28 to 1,680 euros. If the change is successful, you will incur follow-up costs, as you will have to reapply for documents, such as your identity card or passport.: Fee from 28,00 EUR to 1.680,00 EUR