Public law change of the family name

German name law is comprehensively and in principle conclusively regulated by the provisions of civil law. Against this background, the change of name under public law serves to eliminate inconveniences in individual cases. Such a name change has a chance of success if it is justified by the existence of an "important reason".

Good cause exists if the private interests of you as the name bearer worthy of protection in the name change outweigh the following

• the public interest in retaining the previous name
• the conflicting interests of other parties worthy of protection.

• The procedure for changing the surname is initiated by submitting a written application to the competent administrative authority (municipality).
• Ask the competent authority of your municipality for the application form and fill it in completely. For minors, the legal representative submits the application.
• The competent municipal authority requires you to provide further information on the applicant in addition to the reason for the name change.
• In addition, the competent municipal authority will involve other authorities, depending on the case constellation, these may be, for example, the competent police station, the youth welfare office or the debtors' register.
• If the local authority is not itself responsible for the decision, it submits the application to the decision-making authority. In Thuringia, these are the independent cities and the district offices.
• If the requirements for the name change are met, the decision-making authority issues a notice of the name change. If these are not given, you must expect a rejection notice.
• Once the procedure has been successfully completed, you will be issued with a certificate of name change.
• The name change authority notifies other offices 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.
• As soon as the name change has become effective, you must have various documents (identity card, passport, vehicle registration document) changed. You must apply for these changes yourself.

Please contact the competent authority in your municipality for the application. The competent authority for the actual change of the surname is your administrative district or your independent city.

• Persons entitled to file an application (German national, stateless person, homeless foreigner or foreign refugee and person entitled to asylum).
• Presentation of an important reason that allows the applicant's interest worthy of protection to outweigh the conflicting interests of other parties involved as well as the public interest in retaining the previous name.

• Registration certificate and valid official photo ID (identity card, passport)

• Extract from the register of births (available from the registry office of the place of birth)

• If applicable, certified copy of the marriage entry (marriage entry) or civil partnership entry

• The application must contain a declaration as to whether a change of name has been applied for previously, if so when and with which authority.

• The applicant must also declare that he/she is 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 inquire in advance at the name change authority responsible for you.

For the public-legal change of a family name a fee framework between 2,50 € and 1.050,00 € is intended. 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.

For minors, only the legal representative can file the application; if the child is at least 16 years old, he or she will be questioned and heard on the application by the family court.

Persons under guardianship are questioned and heard by the guardianship court.

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs

30.08.2022