Please find information on the reform of the German naming law here.

Since the reform of naming law on 01.05.2025, the use of names is determined by the law of the country in which the person has their habitual residence. Still, a name that has already been acquired does not change.

However, there is a transitional arrangement:
Persons of legal age (18 years or older) can redefine the birth name they acquired as a minor once in accordance with Section 1617i in line with the new options. In addition to the declaration by the adult, the consent of the parent whose name is to be adopted is also required.

Is a name declaration necessary?

A declaration of name under German law is only required if a different name than the one previously used is to be chosen.

Which documents do I need to complete?

Download the declaration forms here:

Declaration form in German

Declaration of consent German form

Please print out the declaration form and complete it carefully . Do not use block capital letters because this could result in deviated spelling.

Besides doing a name declaration, it is also possible to register the birth of the child in the register of births at the competent registrar’s office (“Standesamt”) in Germany and have a German birth certificate issued.

How do I need to submit the declaration?

The Registrar’s Office in Germany that was your last place of residency is responsible for processing the declaration. If you never resided in Germany, the Registrar’s Office I in Berlin is the appropriate office for processing the declaration.

The German Consular Missions in the U.S. however do not process the declarations, but forward them, upon request, to the appropriate Registrar’s Office in Germany. You however also have the option to send your application directly to the appropriate Registrar’s Office. In this case, your signature would have to be notarized by a U.S. Notary Public.

If you wish to submit your declaration through a German Consular Mission, you need to be present during the appointment, since your signature on the form must be notarized.

What documents do I need?

If you would like to directly submit the declaration to the Registrar’s Office in Germany, please send in one completed declaration form, including the documents mentioned below as notarized copies or in the original. Copies may be notarized by the German Consular Mission or a Notary Public, see information leaflet.

If you would like to submit your application through the German consular mission, please present one completed application form as well as the documents mentioned below in the original. Copies are made at the German mission and then notarized for a fee.

• U.S. passport of the child
• U.S. birth certificate of the child
• if the birth certificate only states the county as place of birth, either a “proof of birth letter” with the town of birth, issued by the hospital must be presented, or a “long-form” of the birth certificate
• marriage certificate of the parents (issued by the “Registrar/Clerk of the County”)
• passports of both parents; for non-U.S. citizens residence permit (visa or Green Card)
• birth certificates of both parents
• in case of dual citizenship, U.S. Naturalization Certificate and if applicable “Beibehaltungsgenehmigung”
• if applicable, German naturalization certificate or “Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis”
• if applicable, divorce decree or death certificate

The Registrar’s Offices in Germany have the right to request apostilles and translations of all foreign documents. It is up to the discretion of the competent Registrar’s Office whether the documents are accepted with or without an apostille and translation.

Based on the experiences of the German Missions in the U.S., depending on the individual Registrar’s Office, the requirements for the documents that have to be submitted vary considerably. This applies to how the documents are being certified (notarized by a U.S. Notary Public or a German Consular Officer), as well as to what kind of documents need to be presented (certified copies or originals/with or without an apostille/with or without a translation into German). In order to expedite the processing of your declaration, we recommend that you contact the appropriate Registrar’s Office in Germany prior to submitting your declaration. This would also include inquiring about the possibility of sending the documents directly to the Registrar’s Office without involving the German Missions.

What is the fee for the name declaration?

During your appointment at the Embassy, you initially only pay the fee for notarizing your signature and for notarizing the copies of the supporting documents. You may pay the fee in cash in US-Dollars at the current exchange rate or with credit card (Visa or Mastercard, the amount will be charged in Euros):

A certificate about the validity of the name declaration can be ordered, which is recommended for future passport applications. The fee for the issuance is set by each Registrar’s Office individually and is normally 12.00 EUR each.

The fees cannot be paid at the German Consular Mission, but must be settled with the respective Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office will send you a payment request after it received your application.

How long will it take to process the name declaration?

The processing time depends on the Registrar's Office in charge and varies significantly from city to city.

Given the ever increasing number of declarations, please be advised that processing at the Registrar’s Office I in Berlin usually takes two to three months. Once the last name has been confirmed, the German passport with the new name can be issued.

Which German Consular Mission serves my U.S. home state?

To find out which of the nine German Consular Missions in the U.S. serves your U.S. home state, which is the correct mailing address or whether you need to schedule an appointment to submit the declaration in person, please use our interactive consulate finder