Erklärung der Namensänderung nach Tod, Scheidung oder Auflösung der Lebenspartnerschaft abgeben

• § 1355 Absatz 5 Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB) – Ehenamen
• § 41 Personenstandsgesetz (PStG) – Erklärungen zur Namensführung von Ehegatten
• § 42 PStG – Erklärungen zur Namensführung von Lebenspartnern
• § 46 Verordnung zur Ausführung des Personenstandsgesetzes (PStV) – Bescheinigungen über Erklärungen zur Namensführung
• Sächsisches Kostenverzeichnis (SächsKVZ), Lfd. Nr. 75 Personenstandsrecht, öffentliches Namensrecht, Ziffer 4
• § 20 Bundesnotarordnung (BNotO)

The surname you had during your marriage or civil partnership (married name, civil partnership name) is generally retained even after a divorce, dissolution of the civil partnership or the death of your partner.

If you wish to change your married/partnership name, you can

• Take back your birth name or the name you had until you chose your married/partnership name
• prefix or append your maiden name or the name you previously had to your married/partnership name (maximum two-part, such as "Müller-Huber")
• discard a companion name from the marriage/partnership.

Please note that this declaration is irrevocable. If you remarry, you naturally have the right to change your name again.

The declaration of the change of name must be officially notarised; you can make the declaration at any registry office.

Note: The children's surnames remain unaffected by the change.

Contact point

• for accepting the declaration: registry office (e.g. the registry office in your place of residence) or notary public
• for entry in the marriage register: the registry office where the marriage took place
• for entry in the civil partnership register: the registry office where the civil partnership was established

• Passport or identity card
• for presentation at the registry office that keeps the marriage/life partnership register: legally binding divorce/annulment decision
• for presentation at another registry office additionally:
  • Marriage certificate/civil partnership certificate or notarised register printout

Dissolution of the marriage due to the death of the spouse/life partner, final divorce decree (divorce judgement) or annulment order by the court

• Notarisation or authentication of the name change declaration: EUR 35.00
• Certification of a change of name: EUR 15.00

• Go to a registry office and make your declaration there.
• The declaration will be notarised.
• The declaration becomes effective as soon as it arrives at the responsible (register-keeping) registry office.
• If the registry office before which you make the declaration does not keep the marriage/ civil partnership register itself, it will forward the declaration to the registry office responsible for this.
• The registry office that keeps the register will make the entry on the basis of the declaration (known as an update).
• On request, you will receive a certificate of the name change from the responsible registrar.

Notarised declaration

You can also declare the name change to a notary. The notary's office will forward the notarised declaration to the relevant registry office.

You can find out more about the procedure and fees on request at the notary's office of your choice.

• Notary search
  Saxony Chamber of Notaries