Vor- und Familiennamen - Änderung

The legal bases can be found at the following links:

A first name or surname may be changed upon request if it is intolerable or is a burden in everyday life. The application must be submitted in writing or in writing to the competent managing authority.

Please seek advice from the authority when filling in the application in order to avoid any ambiguity. As a rule, you will also be informed during a personal interview whether the application has a chance of success. In the event of a negative attitude, a fee-based procedure is often not required.

The following documents must be enclosed with the application:

• Proof that the applicant is either a German citizen within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law or a stateless person, a homeless foreigner, a foreign refugee, a person entitled to asylum (e.g. certificate from the registration office, citizenship certificate, passport, identity card, children's identity card).
• ID card of displaced persons (in case of displaced persons)
• Proof of residence, usually registration certificate
• A certified copy from the register of births for the applicant as well as for all persons to whom the change of surname is to apply
• If the applicant is or was married, the marriage certificate
• For applicants who live or have lived in a civil partnership, the civil partnership certificate
• In the case of a change of name for family law reasons, a certified copy from the respective civil status register of the person/family 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 Section 30 (5) of the Federal Central Register Act (to be applied for at the relevant registration office; the certificate of good conduct will be sent directly to the name change authority by the issuing authority)
• The application must include a statement as to whether a change of name has been applied for previously, and if so, when and with which authority

The documents should always be submitted in the original and reflect the current status (this applies in particular to the birth certificate and proof of residence). 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.

• 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.
• For a person with limited legal capacity, the legal representative makes the application (father, mother, guardian, custodian); a guardian or custodian requires the approval of the guardianship court for this. A person with limited legal capacity who has reached the age of 16 must be heard by the guardianship court on the application. The approval of the guardianship court and proof of the result of the hearing of the applicant by the guardianship court must be attached to the application.
• The application shall be submitted in writing or on record to the competent administrative authority.

Only important reasons justify the change of name. The reasons must therefore be explained in detail in the application. The General Administrative Regulation on the Law on the Change of Surnames and First Names contains typical groups of cases.

The amount of the fee depends on the administrative effort and the significance, economic value or other benefit of the official act for the applicant.

For family names, the fee range is from 2.50 to 1,022 euros, for a change of first name 2.50 to 255 euros. If the application is rejected or withdrawn, 1/10 to 1/2 of this fee is charged. If it becomes clear during the interview at the name change authority that an application would be decided negatively, often no fee is charged for the withdrawal of the application.

After receipt of the application and inspection of all necessary documents by the name change authority, the applicant and, if applicable, other persons concerned (children, spouses) will be heard. In addition, persons can be heard to clarify the facts or facilitate the formation of opinions as to whether there is an important reason for the name change. The name change authority may also request or obtain further documents in order to form an opinion. The decision is taken below.

If the name change authority considers the application to be unfounded, the applicant shall be given the opportunity to comment on it or, if necessary, to withdraw the application. If the application is to remain in place and no new facts are presented, the Authority shall reject the application. The rejection notice contains an appeal notice. From this, the further opposition or action proceedings can be seen.

If the name change authority considers the application to be justified, it shall inform the applicant and the other parties concerned, as well as the registry office of the birth register and, where applicable, the marriage or civil partnership register and the reporting authority.

Between 6 and 12 months.

After the first rejection, the applicant is usually given one month to comment on the rejection. There is no deadline for the application itself.

Detailed and comprehensible information can be found in the General Administrative Regulation on the NamÄndG.

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Change of first or surname on request. Detailed and comprehensible information can be found in the General Administrative Regulation on the NamÄndG. The name change right is not suitable for correcting family law decisions on naming (e.B. in connection with marriage, divorce)

In addition to the competent body, the specialist supervisors can also provide information to the regional councils and the highest specialist supervisor at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Sport Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The mayors of the independent cities, the heads of the municipalities and the mayors of the independent municipalities as name change authorities.

No standardized national forms