Surname Change

For a person with limited legal capacity, the legal representative submits the application (father, mother, guardian, guardian). A guardian or guardian requires the approval of the guardianship court. The approval of the guardianship court and proof of the outcome of the guardianship court hearing of the applicant must be attached to the application.

Further questions about the application will be answered by the competent authority.

Responsibility lies with the municipality, the Joint Community and the city in which the applicant has his or her residence.

• German within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (GG), stateless persons, homeless foreigners, foreign refugees or persons entitled to asylum
• Existence of an important reason, which must be included in detail in the application

For the following reasons for change, further requirements apply, which are included in the respective service:

• Declaration of expellees, ethnic German repatriates, their spouses and descendants
• Declaration on the use of names of spouses
• Declaration on the use of names of life partners
• subsequent declaration of a common surname
• Re-adoption of the birth name
• Change of a child's surname

• Application with
  • the statement of important reasons
  • a statement as to whether a change of name has been requested previously, if applicable when and to which competent body
  • a statement that the applicant is aware that the change of name or the rejection or withdrawal of the application is subject to a fee
• Proof that the applicant is either German within the meaning of Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany or stateless, homeless foreigner, foreign refugee, person entitled to asylum, e.g.
  • extract from the family register,
  • certified copy from the family book,
  • citizenship card,
  • Passport, travel document, identity card or child ID card
• a certified copy of the birth record for the applicant and for all persons to whom the change of surname is to relate; the documents must be recent.
• If the applicant is or was married, the marriage certificate or a certified copy from the family book.
• In the event of a change of name for reasons of family law, a certified copy from the family book continued as a marriage entry or the family book extract of the family whose name the applicant wishes to accept must also be submitted.
• for persons who have reached the age of 14:
  • Certificate of good conduct (document type O)

The documents should be submitted in the original. In principle, all application documents remain with the competent authority. The original documents submitted will be returned after the copies have been certified.
In individual cases, further documents and evidence may be required to process the application. Information on this can be obtained from the competent authority.

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

Deadlines may have to be observed. Please contact the competent authority.

Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior and Sport

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.