Name change

The application is submitted to the name change authority; this is the municipal administration of the municipality not belonging to an association, the association municipality administration and, in cities not belonging to a district or a large district, the city administration.

• Proof that the applicant is either German within the meaning of the Basic Law or stateless, homeless foreigner, foreign refugee, asylum seeker (e.g. citizenship card, passport, travel document, identity card, child ID card)
• late repatriate certificate or expellee identity card (for late repatriates and expellees)
• a certified copy of the birth entry for the applicant and for all persons to whom the change of surname 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, the 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 responsible registration authority; the certificate of good conduct will be sent directly to the name change authority by the issuing authority)

Please note:

The documents should always be submitted in the original. All application documents remain with the authority. The original documents submitted will be returned to you once the copies have been certified.

In individual cases, further documents and evidence may be required to process the application. You can obtain information on this from the relevant name change authority.

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.

• Art. 116 para. 1 Basic Law (GG)
• § Section 15 of the Federal Expellees Act (BVFG)
• §§ Sections 3, 11 Name Change Act (NamÄndG)
• § 30 Federal Central Register Act (BZRG)