Change first name

You can apply for the change of your first name at the competent administrative authority if there is an important reason.

Under certain circumstances, you can apply to change your first name. Such a name change has a chance of success if it is justified by the existence of an "important reason".

There are important reasons if the private interests worthy of protection of you as the bearer of the name in the name change outweigh

• the public interest in retaining the previous name and
• the conflicting interests of other parties involved.

When changing your first name, it should be noted that the public interest in retaining your previous name is less important than changing your surname.

The authority responsible for the actual change of the first name is your county or city.

Please contact the relevant authority in your municipality to apply.

• Registration certificate and valid official photo ID (identity card, passport)
• Extract from the birth register (available from the registry office of the place of birth)
• The application must contain a statement as to whether you have previously applied for a change of name, if so, when and with which authority.
• You must declare that you are aware that the change of name or the rejection or withdrawal of the application is subject to a fee.
• For persons who have reached the age of fourteen, a certificate of good conduct

For further documents, please contact the name change authority responsible for you in advance.

Forms: Application for name change (available for download on their website or upon request, depending on the responsible office).

Online procedure possible: no

Written form required: yes

Personal appearance required: no

• You are a German citizen, stateless person, homeless foreigner or foreign refugee and asylum seeker
• Presentation of an important reason that outweighs your interests worthy of protection compared to the conflicting interests of other parties involved and the public interest in retaining your previous name.

• Submit an application to the competent administrative authority (municipality). Ask the competent authority in your municipality for the application form or download it and fill it in completely. For minors, the legal legal representative submits the application.
• In addition to stating the reason for the change, the competent municipal authority will require you to justify the change of first name, further information about the applicant.
• If the requirements for a change of first name are met, the deciding authority will issue a decision on the change of name; if they are not met, you must expect a rejection notice.
• Once the procedure has been successfully completed, you will be issued with a certificate of change of first name.
• The name change authority will inform other authorities of the name change. These include
  • the registration office,
  • the registry office that keeps your birth register,
  • the registry office that keeps your marriage or civil partnership register.

A fee range of between €2.50 and €255.00 is provided for the public-law change of a first name. The amount of the fee is set by the name change authority and depends on the administrative effort. Fees may also be incurred for the rejection or withdrawal of the application.

Further information can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.