Change of name under public law

Is your application likely to be successful?

The prerequisite is that you

• are a German citizen or
• a person entitled to asylum,
• foreign refugee(s), or
• stateless person

are subject to German law.

The name is not at the free disposal of the bearer of the name.

According to the legislator's intention, the provisions of the German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, BGB) on the right to a name should in principle conclusively regulate all questions relating to the right to a name.

By way of exception, inadequacies can be remedied in individual cases by changing the name under public law.

A change of name can therefore only be considered if an important reason in the sense of public law justifies your wish to change your name.

It is not enough that you do not like your existing name and want a different name because it sounds better.

We recommend that you clarify with the responsible clerk before submitting your application whether your name change request is based on an important reason within the meaning of name change law.

If necessary and on request, we will send you an application form.

You can then submit the application to the mayor's office in your place of residence with the necessary documents.

Each individual case is different. Which documents are required in your case will therefore be determined in a personal telephone conversation.

Responsibility

The Ludwigsburg District Office is responsible for your application if you have your domicile or habitual residence in the Ludwigsburg district in a municipality without its own responsibility for name changes under public law.

The following municipalities have their own jurisdiction for name changes under public law in the district of Ludwigsburg:

• Bietigheim-Bissingen with Tamm and Ingersheim
• Ditzingen
• Kornwestheim
• Ludwigsburg
• Remseck am Neckar
• Vaihingen an der Enz with Eberdingen with Oberriexingen and Sersheim

In the case of a permanent stay abroad, the responsibility for the name change depends on the last place of residence or stay.

Civil status includes data on birth, gender, marriage, the establishment of a civil partnership and death, as well as related family and name-related facts.

The registry offices are responsible for recording civil status in civil status registers (birth, marriage and death registers).

As the lower administrative authority, the Ludwigsburg District Office is responsible for supervising the registry offices in the Ludwigsburg district.

If you have any questions regarding the certification of a birth, marriage or death, please contact your local registry office.

If the registry office refuses to carry out an official act, you can apply in writing or verbally to the competent district court to instruct the registry office to carry out the refused official act.

The district administration office only provides advice and information to the registry offices in the district.