Germany - Change Your Name (Deed Poll)

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Procedure

You must apply in writing to the change of name of the municipality or the county office where you live.

Insert the reasons for your application.

The competent authority will then perform the necessary investigations information from a debtor or a directory with the district court and, if necessary, by other sites.

Note: If one more person involved, you will first only a decision on the name change. These indicate that you have to wait until the name change can not be challenged by legal means.

Once the name change has become effective, you need to change various documents. These changes must apply themselves.

Once you have submitted the application, we hear the debtor administration at the district court and the local Police Station to the project to (approximately 3-4 weeks). Once present in all of us need the material evidence, we can make a decision.

If we can grant your request, we ask you about the name change took place a document from, is the basis for the re-issue of all other official documents (identity card, passport, driving license, vehicle registration, tax card, etc.). In addition, you should inform all other authorities and private institutions with whom you are in regular contact by the change.

If we provide during the proceedings recognize that your application has little chance of success, we recommend that you withdraw the request for cost saving reasons.

If we have to deny your request, we will provide you a appealable decision to formally. Against the decision is possible without any further opposition proceedings of administrative courts to the Bavarian Administrative Court in Munich for the review of our decision open.

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Required Documents

• Valid identity document (e.g. as a passport or identity card)
• Proof of residence or usual place of residence (e.g. identity card, registration card)
• Certified copy of birth certificate of the applicant person and all persons to whom shall extend the change of surname
• Certified copy of the marriage register when the applicant was married person or
• Certificate of good conduct in people who are at least 14 years old
• Statement of whether the applicant person has ever made an application for change of surname
• If this is the case, you must also specify:
  • the administrative authority with which the earlier application was made and
  • the decision taken by the Authority

Office Locations & Contacts

Standesamt Charlottenburg von Berlin
Alt- Lietzow 28
10587 Berlin
Germany

Bavaria
Standesamt Mnchen
Ruppertstrasse 11
80337 Mnchen
Phone: 89 233 00

North Germany
Hauptstandesamt Hamburg
Borgfelder Str. 64
20537 Hamburg
Phone: 40 428 54 0
Fax: 40 428 54 4937

Southwest Germany
Standesamt Baden-Baden
Augustaplatz 1
76530 Baden-Baden
Phone: 7221 93 2160
Fax: 7221 93 2168

Other Areas in Germany
Standesamt I Berlin
Rckerstrasse 9
10119 Berlin
Phone: 30 90 207 0
Fax: 30 90 207 245

City of Munich
Department II Population Administration marital status, naming rights, civil status supervision
Ruppertstrae 19
80337 Munich

Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection

Federal Ministry of the Interior

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Eligibility

A name or family name may be changed only when a "good cause" (Name Change Act) justifies the change. One important reason is given if the legitimate interest of the applicant is essential that the interests of the general public, who demand the preservation of the existing name in the rule, must resign.

Names may be amended only if there is good reason to justify its change.

Names of children who are older than one year and under sixteen years shall be changed only for serious reasons for the good of the child.

Fees

If the request is complied with:

• on change of a surname: 2,50 to 1,022 per person
• on change of a first name: 2.50 EUR to 255 EUR

The actual fee depends on the administrative burden and the significance of the change of name of the applicant or the applicant.

• If the application is withdrawn or rejected: one-tenth to five tenths of charge
• In destitute applicants and applicants in a particular case: toll-free

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

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Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Because of the involvement of various authorities in the procedure can be more than 6 months, the average processing time; according to the individual case, however, we can also expect a significantly longer processing time.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

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Instructions

Requests for change of name (first and family name), you can ask us if you live in the city of Munich and German nationals (equivalent to, for example, here resident foreign refugees and asylum seekers).

Required Information

• Your name as listed on birth certificate or immigration or citizenship documents.
• The full name you are applying to change to (if you are changing your name).
• Date and place of birth
• Marital status and details
• Places of residence for last three months
• Address for Correspondence

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Need for the Document

Name change generally refers to the legal act by a person of adopting a name different from their name at birth, marriage or adoption. The procedures and ease of a name change vary between jurisdictions.

If you are using, or wish to use, a name other than your registered name, there is no legal requirement that you formally change your name. It is, however, recommended that you change your name officially, both for identification and as evidence of your name change.

Information which might help

Family Name

In practice, the following cases occur frequently (not exhaustive):

• Collecting names are family names starting with a likelihood of confusion (eg, Maier, Mller, Schmidt);
• Family names that sound offensive or ridiculous or give undue or frivolous puns occasion;
• Difficulties in spelling and pronunciation, bring that goes beyond the normal level with disabilities themselves;
• Problems caused by variations in spelling of the family name with "ss" and "" or of family names with special characters such as "ae" or "oe", leading to significant disabilities;

When selecting a new family name you are not completely free. Thus, the new name should not lead to new difficulties, either because it is a collective name or because he is like the previous name difficult to write and / or pronounce. In case of difficulties in spelling and pronunciation, the change of name spelling will usually suffice. Special restrictions there are, moreover, in the granting of double names and surnames with an earlier aristocratic name.

First name

Changes in the name guide are like the family name change only possible if there is good cause. The right of the child's first name, which is exerted at the birth of a child, ends with the registration of the admissible selected name in the registry office.

The following changes are possible if there is good cause:

• Replacement of a first name with a different name
• Deletion or addition of a first name
• Germanization of foreign forms of the name
• Changes of spelling

No change in the meaning of the name change Act is to amend the nickname, which does not exist in the legal sense. Among several accompanying name, it is up to the bearer of the name, which he will use as a nickname.

Artist name (pseudonym)

In stage name, order name, pseudonyms and other epithets that are arbitrary and can be stored at any time, it is indeed not a real name in the legal sense. But artists' names are as bourgeois name of the objects name protection.

Legally binding and allowed the signature with a pseudonym, provided that the upcoming exhibits in person concerned is established without doubt. Is signed with the artist name, so that is basically satisfies the legal writing.

With the introduction of the new ID card (1.11.2010) was decided by the Law on Identity Cards and the electronic identification as a secondary control that artist names can be entered in the identity card and passport again. The regulation also applies to religious name.

Reasons to legalize a stage name by official name change will not be present even at a long-term management of the pseudonym in general.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

You may want to change your name because:

• You have just gotten married
• You have divorced
• You just want a change
• In case of adoption

External Links

Apply for change of name

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