With effect from May 1, 2025, the new law amending the law on married names and birth names and the international law on names will come into force.
From this date, there will be further options for the use of married names and children's birth names.
Declarations on the change of married name
At the moment you can:
continue to use the same name in the marriage,
or determine a married name once (and the person whose name has not become the married name can add his/her name with a hyphen).
Children born during the marriage are given the married name of the parents or, in the case of separate names, the surname of one of the parents as determined by the parents.
From May 1, 2025, you will have the following additional options:
If you do not currently have a joint name, you can choose a double name made up of the surnames you have previously used as your married name, which children born in this marriage will then also receive.
When choosing a double name, you now have the choice of whether it is written with or without a hyphen.
What is also new is that all spouses who have married by April 30, 2025 and have a married name can submit a new name declaration and make use of all the options offered by the new naming law.
The declaration must be made and notarized by both spouses at the registry office when they appear together.
Further information and examples can be found on the following page of the Federal Ministry of Justice:
Costs
The declaration of the married name or a revocation costs €21, a certificate of the new name costs €9 or a new marriage certificate costs €10.
Appointment and consultation requests
From March 1, 2025, please send appointment and consultation requests to heiratenbonnde or by post to the registry office in Bonn, Thomas-Mann-Str. 4, 53103 Bonn.
Please use this form (opens in a new tab) and send it by e-mail or post.
Please note that the registry office expects a large number of inquiries and that there may be a slight delay in responding.