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Name Declaration / Naming Law

25.02.2020 - Article

German citizens are subject to German law with respect to their use of a name. The possible names which may be used under German law may deviate from those entered in US vital records or identification documents.

Also, name changes of German citizens in their US documents do not always have an immediate effect to the name used in Germany and in German official documents. Please read the information provided on the following pages carefully in order to find out if a name declaration is required, especially after birth, marriage or divorce abroad.

You will find additional regional information on the website of the German mission in the United States that is responsible for your district (currently not available for all German foreign missions). To find out which of the nine German Consular Missions in the U.S. serves your U.S. home state, please use our interactive consulate finder

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