As an adult, you cannot change your surname to any name you like simply at your own request. An official change requires an appropriate statutory ground. Justis (the screening authority of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security) distinguishes between several routes, for example for the name of a parent or carer, reversing an earlier change and serious psychological distress. The ground for the application determines which documents are required and which fees apply. Therefore start with the origin of your current name and your specific reason for the change. A carefully chosen route prevents a refusal that cannot be remedied with more general explanation.
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Written by Öznur Batur, attorney at Arslan Advocaten, specialising in personal and family law. Registered in the specialisation register of the Netherlands Bar for personal and family law and criminal law. Last updated: 19 September 2026. General information is not legal advice about your own situation.
Changing your surname is different from the use of a name
In daily life you can use a name without your official surname changing as a result. The use of a name after marriage or registered partnership is likewise not the same as a legal change of name. On official documents, the name recorded by law remains what counts. Changing the name by which an organisation addresses you does not amend your birth certificate.
Therefore first ask what you actually need. Is it about correspondence, an incorrect registration, a foreign name or genuinely a new official surname? Different routes may apply to those situations. If instead you wish to change your first name, the usual procedure runs through the district court and an attorney. You can read more about this under changing your first name. The two procedures may not be treated as one application.
Which route fits your reason?
Justis describes several categories, each with its own conditions. For adults, routes B1, B2 and B3, among others, are relevant. In addition, there are special grounds, including psychological distress, certain offences and a return to an original name after adoption. The exact category must match your history and the new name you want.
Therefore draw up an overview of your birth details, earlier choices of name, any name changes and the family situation in which you grew up. Note who cared for you and when your parents separated. An application becomes stronger through evidence that a specific condition is met, not through a long text that merely repeats that the name no longer feels right. If several routes seem possible, have it assessed which fits best legally and which supporting documents are available for it.
Taking the name of a parent or carer: B1
Route B1 may, under certain conditions, be relevant where your parents separated while you were a minor and you were subsequently cared for and raised by the person whose name you wish to bear. The factual and official history is important. It is not an unlimited choice between all the names within the family.
Justis states that this route is not available in the same way where your parents only separated after your eighteenth birthday. The date of the separation and the care situation therefore deserve to be checked. Gather official records and explain which name you are requesting. Within certain routes a combined name may be possible, but the conditions still apply. Before submitting, have it checked whether the desired name matches the category concerned.
Reversing an earlier change: B2
If your surname was changed while you were a minor, there may, under certain conditions, be a route to reverse that change as an adult. Justis makes a distinction according to the legal way in which the earlier name change came about. Route B2 is not automatically suitable for every name that changed during childhood.
A change resulting from acknowledgement or judicial establishment of parentage may, for example, have a different background from a change under the Name Change Decree (Besluit geslachtsnaamswijziging). Therefore request the earlier decision and the full birth certificate with subsequent annotations. Merely remembering that the name ‘used to be different’ is not sufficient to determine the correct route. An attorney can help you read the documents and determine whether restoration via B2 or another route should be examined.
Revising a parental choice of name: B3
For certain young adults, there is an option to revise an earlier choice of name made by their parents. Justis describes route B3 for persons aged eighteen, nineteen or twenty, subject to the conditions stated regarding the original choice of name. It is therefore an age-bound option and not a general route that remains open at any time.
If you are approaching this age or will soon turn twenty-one, have the time limit and filing conditions assessed in good time. Do not wait until all non-essential documents have been gathered perfectly before asking which moment counts legally. Also beware of outdated reports about temporary extensions. A special transitional option for a specific group from 2024 ran until 1 January 2025 and is not a general current exception in 2026. Use the current Justis information and your own date of birth as the starting point.
Changing your surname because of psychological distress: C1
Anyone who experiences serious psychological distress from their current surname can have it examined whether route C1 applies. This route requires more than merely a preference for another name. Justis requires an expert assessment in accordance with the requirements described for it. The relationship between the current name, the distress and the expected effect of a change must be made sufficiently clear.
For this purpose, Justis refers to experts with the appropriate registration and diagnostic competence, for example within BIG, NIP or NVO. Under the conditions, the expert may be your own practitioner or an independent expert, but not a family member. Also check how recent the statement must be; the statement described may not be older than six months at the time of submission. An arbitrary short letter from someone without the required qualification may be insufficient.
How do you substantiate psychological distress carefully?
Describe specific situations in which the name leads to problems and what consequences you experience. Make clear how long this has been going on and what support you may have sought. The expert must be able to make an independent assessment. The intention is not to have a predetermined conclusion signed off.
Share medical information only to the extent that it is relevant to the application. Keep the full statement and use the secure submission channel of the treating institution. An attorney can check whether the statement addresses the right legal question, but does not replace the expert assessment. Also ask whether the new name you want is permissible within the route. A well-substantiated claim of distress does not give unlimited freedom to choose any new family name at will.
An offence committed by the parent whose name you bear: C2
Justis has a specific route for certain offences committed by the parent whose surname you bear. This route may be free of charge if the conditions are met. The arrangement sets specific requirements as to the type of acts and the evidence. A general reference to a difficult childhood is not automatically the same as falling within this category.
According to Justis, the evidence may consist of, among other things, a final conviction or the specifically described combination of a decision by the Violent Offences Compensation Fund (Schadefonds Geweldsmisdrijven), information about the offence and an expert statement. It is therefore too general to say that only a criminal conviction ever counts. Have the current evidential route checked carefully. The application must match the official requirements without requiring you to share more sensitive information than necessary.
Returning to an original name after adoption: C3
For adopted persons there may be a route to regain their original surname. The history and supporting documents are essential in this respect. Gather the original birth details, the adoption decision and documents showing the name before and after adoption. In the case of intercountry adoption, translation, legalisation and differences in spelling may require attention.
An application for a change of name is not the same as challenging the adoption itself. The legal family ties remain a separate matter. Therefore discuss exactly what change you want and what consequences you expect. Sometimes an investigation into incomplete or deviating birth details is also required. An attorney can help to define the name question and prevent different procedures from unintentionally becoming entangled.
Foreign surname and dual nationality
A name officially determined in another country may give rise to a question of international recognition. Book 10 of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) contains rules on the applicable law of names and the recognition of foreign name determinations. That is not automatically the same route as an ordinary Dutch application to Justis. Nationalities, the foreign certificate and the circumstances of the name change are relevant.
Have it examined whether the problem concerns recognition of an existing foreign name, correction of a registration or a new Dutch change. Request the full foreign certificate and check whether it was drawn up by a competent authority. A foreign passport can provide evidence, but does not in every situation tell the full legal story. Other routes apply to children; see changing a child’s surname.
May you invent an entirely new surname yourself?
Not as a matter of course. The permitted new name depends on the statutory ground for the application and the rules that apply to it. Some routes follow the name of a parent, carer or original family. Other situations may offer specific options, but that does not turn the procedure into a free name selection service.
Therefore discuss not only why you wish to be rid of your current name, but also why the new name requested fits within the route. Check the spelling, prefixes and any combined name carefully. An error in the desired name can later require a great deal of corrective work. Have the final application reviewed calmly before signing. Your official name will subsequently appear in several registers and documents; consistency is therefore more important than a quick choice while filling in a form.
Which documents belong with the application?
The list differs per category. Often identity details, a recent full copy of the birth certificate and documents concerning the relevant family situation are required. In the case of an earlier change, the old decision belongs in the file. For psychological distress or an offence, the specifically prescribed supporting documents are important.
Work with a document list stating what each document proves. Check whether documents are recent enough and whether a translation or legalisation is required. Keep copies of the application submitted and the proof of payment. If Justis requests additional information, respond within the stated time limit and explain when a document still has to be obtained. A timely, specific response helps more than sending your whole life story again without answering the question asked.
What does a change of surname cost?
According to Justis information checked on 17 September 2026, the standard fee for an adult is €835. Exceptions may apply to specific categories, including the free route described for certain offences. So first check your ground for the application and the associated fee before paying.
In addition, costs may arise for extracts, translations, expert examination and legal assistance. An attorney is not required for every ordinary Justis application, but can be useful where the legal basis is unclear or the application is refused. Ask for a separate estimate for advice or an objection. After a final name change, new identity documents may also be needed. Keep those follow-up costs separate from the application fee, so that it is clear what the whole change involves in practice.
How long does the procedure take?
Justis describes several stages, including investigation, decision-making and further completion. The published time limits and average processing times are indications; the current workload and the completeness of your application can have an effect. An application with foreign documents or further questions about evidence can take more time.
Therefore do not plan irreversible travel or administrative steps solely on the basis of an expected date. For a pending file, ask which step is still outstanding. A positive initial assessment is not in all cases the same as the final name change. The possibility of objection and the eventual formal processing also play a role. Only use the new name on official documents once the change has become legally effective in accordance with the procedure.
Refusal: lodging an objection with targeted reasoning
A refusal must be read in light of the reason Justis gives. Was the wrong category used, is a supporting document missing or has a substantive condition not been met? An objection must respond to that. Repeating the original wish without contesting the reasoning does not in itself make the application stronger.
Under the applicable administrative law rules, the time limit for an objection is usually six weeks. Check the notice of legal remedies and the date of the decision. If time is short, have it assessed immediately how the time limit can be safeguarded. After the decision on the objection, an appeal to the administrative court may, under certain conditions, be available. An attorney can explain which procedure is appropriate and whether additional reasoning can genuinely make a difference. A new application is not automatically the best response to an unfavourable decision.
What changes after approval?
The final name change is formally processed and passed on to the relevant registers. Check your birth certificate and your data in the Personal Records Database (BRP). Where necessary, you must apply for new identity documents yourself; they are not all delivered to your door automatically. Also think of your bank, employer, insurer and other organisations that use your official name.
A name change does not in itself sever legal parenthood and does not erase debts or earlier legal acts. For minor children who bear your name, consequences may, under certain conditions, play a role and must be examined in advance. Therefore keep the decision and proof of the old and new name. This enables you to show later that diplomas, title deeds or earlier documents relate to the same person.
Case example: the right category determines the file
This example is fictitious. A nineteen-year-old wishes to bear the name of the other parent. The first thought is an application on grounds of psychological distress. However, the birth certificate and the earlier choice of name show that the age-bound route B3 should be examined first. As a result, other conditions and supporting documents become relevant.
A second person has a similar wish, but is considerably older and has a different childhood history. For that person the same route is not automatically available. The example shows why one general template letter for everyone falls short. The reason for the wish may be similar, while the legal ground for the application differs. A short analysis in advance can prevent an unnecessarily costly or wrongly substantiated application.
Preparing your application
Note your current name, desired name, date of birth and the reason for the change. Gather your birth certificate and any earlier decisions. State any foreign nationalities and upcoming age limits or time limits for objection. Through family law at Arslan you can discuss which route and substantiation are appropriate. The final decision lies with the competent authority and depends on the statutory conditions and your file.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change my surname because I do not like it?
A personal preference is not automatically sufficient. There must be a statutory ground for the application, and the desired name must fit within that route. Justis assesses the associated conditions and supporting documents.
Do I need an attorney for an ordinary Justis application?
Not for every application. Legal assistance can, however, be useful where the correct category is unclear, where there are particular evidential problems or after a refusal. A different procedure applies to a change of first name through the district court.
Does a change of surname always cost €835?
That is the verified standard fee for an adult, but there are exceptions. A free route may apply in the case of certain offences. Check the current category and additional costs before submitting.
Can I still use route B3 after I turn twenty-one?
The B3 route described is age-bound for eighteen, nineteen and twenty-year-olds. Outdated temporary arrangements do not offer a general extension in 2026. Have it assessed in good time which route fits your date of birth and history.
Does a new name sever my tie with my parent?
A name change does not in itself end legal parenthood. Family ties, maintenance and inheritance are governed by their own rules. If you also have questions about those, they must be assessed separately.
What should I do if Justis refuses my application?
Read the reasons and the notice of legal remedies immediately. The time limit for an objection is usually six weeks. The response must address the ground for refusal and, where necessary, be supplemented with appropriate evidence or a legal explanation.
Read also
- Changing your child’s surname
- Changing a first name
- Double surname and foreign nationality
- All information about family law
Sources and legal basis
Sources and fees mentioned checked on 17 September 2026; check the current conditions before applying.
- Justis: changing the surname of an adult.
- Justis: psychological distress, offences and adoption.
- Justis: process and costs.
- Book 1 of the Dutch Civil Code, surnames.
- Book 10 of the Dutch Civil Code, international law of names.
- Justis: objection and appeal in name change matters.
