Change of name; application

A first name or family name may only be changed on application, for example, if the bearer of the name has considerable personal difficulties with the name in everyday life and this is not contrary to the public interest.

As the requirements can vary greatly in individual cases, it is recommended that you always seek advice from the competent authority, i.e. the district administration office or the district-free city, before submitting an application. This also applies to the documents to be submitted.

• You have German citizenship.
• You are entitled to asylum, a foreign refugee, a stateless person, a homeless foreigner or a quota refugee.
• You need an important reason for changing your name under public law. This should be described in detail.

Before you apply for a name change, you can submit a preliminary inquiry about the desired name change. This has the advantage that you will be informed by the name change authority about the necessary documents and any chances of success as well as the fees likely to be incurred before submitting an application.

If the surname of several members of a family is to be changed, a separate application is required for each person.

For underage children, the legal representative(s) submit the application. If a child has reached the age of 16, the guardianship court will hear the application.

Fees of between EUR 50.00 and EUR 1,500.00 may be incurred for changing or establishing a surname.

Fees of between EUR 25.00 and EUR 500.00 may be charged for changing first names.

No fees are charged for a preliminary request for a name change.