Change of name after marriage or divorce
Have you got married and would like to choose a joint surname or give it up again after the marriage has ended?
After the wedding, the couple can choose one of their surnames as their married name or family name. They can also have a double name. After a divorce, you can take your former surname again.
Prerequisites
The name also depends on your nationality. Other countries have different naming options. Please use our contact form to obtain advice on your desired surname.
To change your name in connection with a marriage, you must submit a name declaration. The name declaration must be officially notarised and becomes effective upon receipt by the relevant registry office. The responsible office is:
- The registry office where your marriage took place
- If you got married abroad, the registry office where your marriage was subsequently notarised upon request
- If 1 and 2 do not apply, the registry office in whose district you live
- If you live abroad, the registry office in whose district you last lived
- If none of these apply, the registry office I in Berlin
Required documents
- Identity documents of the spouses
- Marriage certificate
- Foreign-language documents are issued in multilingual form or together with a translation (publicly appointed and sworn translators)
- In individual cases, further documents may be required, in particular your birth certificates or proof of previous marriages or civil partnerships.
Please use our contact form to obtain advice on the desired name.
Questions & Answers
If you kept your surnames when you got married, you can decide on a joint surname (married name) at a later date without being bound by a time limit. This declaration cannot be revoked during the marriage.
You can choose the maiden name of one of the spouses or one of their current surnames as your married name. Example: Mrs Hase née Wolf is married to Mr Hirsch née Hund. All four names can be chosen as the married name.
According to German law, a married name can only be chosen by both spouses together.
As long as the marriage exists, the married name cannot be discarded. After the marriage is dissolved, the maiden name or the name that was used before the marriage can be taken again.
First you determine a married name. This is the joint surname of the married couple.
If your surname has not become your married name, you can declare to the registry office that you wish to add your maiden name or the name you were using at the time of the declaration in front of it. As a rule, this must not result in a "triple name". The prefixed or appended name and the married name are joined together by a hyphen. You still have this option even if the marriage has already been dissolved, as long as you have the married name.
Under German law, a combined surname for both spouses is not permitted.
You can discard it, but you cannot take it up again afterwards.
If a child is born to parents with a married name, it automatically receives this name as its surname. The same applies to children under the age of 5 if their parents choose a married name. Older children will only receive their parents' married name if they choose to use it.
The name declaration must be officially notarised. You can contact a registry office or a notary for this. If you live abroad, please contact your local consular mission.
Legal basis
§ SECTION 1355 BGB
Art. 10 para. 2 EGBGB
§ Section 41 PStG