South Africa - Change Your Name (Deed Poll)

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Procedure

Apply In-person

1. To apply for changing a name or apply for a deed poll in person, the person who wishes to do should pay a visit to the office of Department of Home affairs which is nearest to the applicant’s location.
2. Please click on the following link for the contact details and address of the office of Department of Home affairs: Link Among the list of provinces, click on your province name and get the details accordingly.
3. Go to the office of the DHA and get the Application form for changing your name in the Register. The applicant will have to get application form according to his/her requirement.
4. If the need is to change the forename, you have to obtain Form BI-85 from the office of DHA and fill the form as required. Also the applicant should provide a sufficient reason for change of name.
5. Form BI-85 can also be downloaded by clicking the following link: Link
6. If the applicant wants to change the surname of a minor in Population register, he/she needs to get Form BI-193 from the office and fill the form with appropriate information. Also the applicant should provide a sufficient reason for change of name.
7. Form BI-193 can also be downloaded by clicking the following link:Link
8. Or if the applicant, who is a major, wants to assume a different surname for themselves have to get Form BI-196 from the office and fill with appropriate details. Also the applicant should provide a sufficient reason for change of name.
9. Form BI-196 can also be downloaded by clicking the following link:Link
10. After completing the application form with respect to the need, attach the documents mentioned in the “Required Documents” section of this page and then submit it at the Department of Home Affairs office for further verification and validation processes.
11. Then, the concerned officials will examine the application form and attached documents and scrutinize the reason provided for change of name.
12. If the authorities find the reason stated is sufficient and valid, the application will be further forwarded to the Director-General who will authorize the change of name.
13. After authorizing, the Director General will amend the change of name and publish the change in the gazette, in a prescribed manner. Then, the Director General shall issue a Certificate from the Population Register on the change of the name.

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Required Documents

• Duly filled and signed Application form (for all cases)
• Written consent by natural father (for a minor in case of mother’s remarriage)
• Written consent by mother’s husband (for a minor in case of mother’s remarriage)
• Written consent by the mother (for a minor)
• Reason for the change of name in written form (for all cases)
• Written consent of the spouse (surname change for majors)

Office Locations & Contacts

Department of Home Affairs - Head Office
Physical Address : Hallmark Building,
230 Johannes Ramokhoase,
Pretoria,
Gauteng,
0001,
South Africa.
Postal Adress : Private Bag X114,
Pretoria,
0001,
Phone: 012 406 2500
Email: [email protected]
Website ,Link 2

Department Of Home Affairs Offices

Eligibility

• The person, for whom Deed poll is sought for, should possess a valid Identity Document.
• If a child is born out of wedlock and the mother marries a person other than the child's biological father and wishes to change the child’s surname to that of her husband, the mother can apply.
• The person applying should have a sound and sufficient reason to change the name.
• For minors, either of the parents or guardian, who wishes to change the minor’s name, can apply.

Fees

• Application for any change of the forenames or surname of a minor – R70.00
• Application for the changing of a major's forenames in the birth register – R140.00
• Application by a major to assume a different surname – R325.00

Validity

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

Documents to Use

Application forms

• BI-85: Link
• BI-193: Link
• BI-196: Link

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

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'.

Instructions

• In case of changing the forenames, tariffs vary for majors and for persons who have not entered into a legal marriage or who have not been declared as majors in terms of the Age of Majority Act.
• A woman may assume her husband's surname, or revert to her maiden surname or a prior surname she legally bore, and since 1997 a woman may also join her surname with that of her husband's as a double-barreled surname.
• No application to the Department of Home Affairs is necessary in these instances, but to enable the Department to update the Population Register, women should notify the Department of such changes in writing.

Required Information

• Forenames and Surnames of the persons for whom the application is filled
• Particulars of the Parents or guardian (in case of minors)
• Place and date of birth of the persons for whom the application is filled
• Address and contact details of the applicants
• Identity number of the applicants
• New Forenames and Surnames of the persons for whom the application is filled
• Personal and Identity Details of the Spouse and children (change of surname for majors)

Need for the Document

• This application is essential to get your change of name notified to the government so that it is authorized officially and get altered in the Population Register.
  

Information which might help

• If a mother, after her divorce from or the death of her husband (father of child), wishes to change the child's surname to her maiden surname or to another surname she bore legally or if she has remarried, to the surname of her new husband, can make use of this provision in Birth and Death Registration Act.
• This application process provides facilities if a child is born out of wedlock but registered under the biological father's surname and the mother wishes to change the child's surname to hers or if a minor is under the care of a guardian and the guardian wishes to change the child's surname to his/hers.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

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Others

More information which might help people.