You got married outside of Germany and would like to use your new name in your German passport? Before you can apply for a new passport with your new name, you must first submit a name declaration.
Did you get married outside of Germany and want to change your name after you get married? In order to be able to change the name effectively under German law, a name declaration is required. You can only apply for a passport or identity card in the new name after you have received the name certificate from the responsible registry office in Germany.
If you want to form a married name according to German law, you can choose between the family name and maiden name of each spouse. The chosen married name automatically extends to all children born within the marriage or who will be born in the future.
Alternatively, you can determine your married name according to foreign law if one of the spouses has this foreign nationality. You then have a choice of names that are permitted by the foreign law. The married names chosen in this way do not automatically extend to the children born in the marriage.
Both spouses must sign the application in person when submitting the application.
Applications must be handed in personally at the German Embassy Windhoek and only after booking an appointment through the following link: Online Appointment System
The online appointment system works optimal on the browsers Microsoft Edge and Firefox. If you cannot access the page properly, please read our information on trouble shooting here:
All documents must be submitted in the original and in duplicate. You cannot make copies at the Embassy, please bring all necessary copies with you.
Foreign-language documents (exception: English and French) must be submitted with a translation into German or English.
Please provide the following documents:
Please note: this list concerns documents that have to be presented in routine cases. Since German naming law is very complex and many situations are possible, additional documents can be requested from the German Embassy Windhoek or the responsible Civil Registry in Germany in individual cases.
Fees apply to the diplomatic mission abroad. They must be paid in Namibian Dollar when applying. The Euro amount will be converted at the Embassy’s current exchange rate. Payment can be made in cash or with credit Card (Visa or MasterCard). List of fees.
The German Embassy Windhoek has no influence on the processing times of the German registry offices and can therefore not provide any information about the status of the procedure. Please note that a German passport can only be issued as soon as the certificate of naming has been received from the Civil Registry.