Name: Change of name during marriage/life partnership and after dissolution of marriage/life partnership

Procedure

The relevant declarations must be made in person at the registry office. An appointment is required for this. An appointment can be requested at the registry office using the "Change of name of spouse" form.

The determination of the married name or the revocation of the married name:

• Joint declaration by both spouses

The determination of a (single) double name, its revocation or the resumption of the original name after the dissolution of the marriage:

• Declaration by the person concerned.

All declarations are publicly notarized by the registry office.

Legal bases

• § 1355 Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB)
• § 41 Personenstandsgesetz (PStG)
• Art. 10 Abs. 2 Einführungsgesetz zum Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuche (EGBGB)
• Ab 01.05.2025 § 1355 Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB)
• Ab 01.05.2025 Art. 10 Abs. 2 Einführungsgesetz zum Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuche (EGBGB)
• Art. 229 § 67 Abs. 1 Einführungsgesetz zum Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuche (EGBGB)

More information

The declaration can be made at any domestic registry office. The registry office that keeps the marriage register is responsible for the "receipt" and therefore for the validity of the declaration. The registry office keeping the register issues the certificate of the name. If the marriage takes place abroad, the registry office of the place of residence is responsible.

Example: The marriage was concluded at the registry office in Cologne, the spouses both live in Bremen. The registry office in Bremen can record the declaration to determine the married name and sends it to the registry office in Cologne. The declaration becomes effective the moment it is received by the registry office in Cologne. The Cologne registry office sends the certificate of the name change to the spouses.

The certified copy of the marriage register to be submitted should not be older than six months.