“Changing your name can change your fate”
As of January 1, 2021, Ukrainians have been granted the right to change not only their first or last name at will, but also their patronymic. And in just six months, 753 people went through the procedure, 135 of whom changed their patronymic only.
Karina Minchuk, head of the Desnyansky Civil Registration Department, said:
“In general, the percentage of people who apply with this issue is insignificant. However, there are people who believe that changing your name can change your fate. Believe it or not, we observe that it really affects a person’s character.”
According to Ms. Minchuk, the vast majority of people who applied for a patronymic change said that they had bad relations with their parents, so they did not want to associate themselves with their father. This usually happens if there was a tragedy in the family or the child grew up with a stepfather.
She also notes that there have been quite unusual situations involving name changes. For example, in 2021, Ms. Minchuk’s department had a guy who changed his name to Captain Jack Vorobeyovych.
Currently, changing a name and patronymic costs 5 hryvnias 10 kopecks, and if a person wants to repeat the procedure, they will pay 51 hryvnias. The registry office considers such applications within three months.
What do I need to know to change my name, surname or patronymic?
At what age can you change your name, surname and patronymic?
Citizens of Ukraine have the right to change their surname, first name, patronymic at their own discretion from the age of sixteen.
Starting from the age of fourteen, Ukrainians have the right to change their surname, full name and patronymic only with the consent of their parents, however, if there is a dispute between the parents regarding the child’s patronymic, it may be determined by a guardianship or custody authority or a court, in which case the participation of each parent in the child’s upbringing and other factors are considered.
Grounds for changing the name, surname and patronymic:
– voluntary change;
– adoption, its cancellation or invalidation;
– registration of marriage, its dissolution or invalidation;
– the father of a person (who has reached the age of 14 and wishes to change his patronymic) has changed his name or information about him as the father has been removed from the birth certificate.
1. Change of surname upon marriage (or upon divorce, annulment of marriage)
Who can change their surname upon marriage and how:
– The spouses have the right to choose the surname of one of them as a common surname for the family
– The bride/groom have the right to add the surname of their spouse to their surname. If they both wish to have a double surname, they decide which surname will be written first
– Combining more than two surnames is not allowed, unless it follows from the custom of the national minority to which the bride or groom belongs
– If at the time of marriage one of the spouses already has a double surname, he or she has the right to replace one of the parts of his or her surname
When registering a marriage, a stamp is affixed to the passport stating that the passport is subject to exchange within 1 month due to a change of surname.
To change the surname in your passport, you need to submit the following documents to the State Migration Service of Ukraine
– a certificate of registration of the place of residence from the registration authority;
– original and copy of the marriage certificate. If the reason for changing the surname was the dissolution of the marriage, a corresponding document must be submitted;
– a passport to be exchanged;
– original and copy of the identification code;
– a receipt of payment of the administrative fee with the stamp of the bank where you are listed as the payer;
– if you are or have been married, you must additionally bring the original and a copy of the marriage or divorce documents;
– if you have children and wish to have their information entered into the chip, you must additionally bring the original and a copy of the children’s birth documents;
– certificate of registration of an internally displaced person (for internally displaced persons).
The application is considered within one month, after which a new passport is issued.
2) Change of surname or name at your own request
To change your name or surname, you must apply in person:
– to the civil registry office at the place of residence or to the administrative service center (ASC), and you must show your passport of a citizen of Ukraine – for Ukrainians residing in Ukraine;
– citizens of Ukraine permanently residing abroad should apply to the diplomatic mission or consular office of Ukraine where they are registered with the consulate.
The application must be accompanied by
– passport of a citizen of Ukraine
– birth certificate
– marriage certificate (if you are married);
– Certificate of divorce (if the marriage is dissolved);
– birth certificates of children (if you have minor children);
– certificates of change of your name, your father’s or mother’s name, if they have been changed before;
– your photo;
– a receipt of payment of the state fee – currently UAH 5.10, in case of repeated change – UAH 51.00.
When applying to an administrative service center (ASC), an application for a name change is filled out on the spot by an operator directly in electronic form, the main thing is to provide all the necessary documents.
Application consideration period:
Based on the data received, the Civil Registry Office prepares a conclusion on the permission to change the name/ surname or refusal within three months and sends it to you at the address you specify in the application.
In some cases, the period for processing your application may be extended for another three months.
On what grounds you can be refused to change your name or surname:
– criminal proceedings against you or your stay under administrative supervision;
– If you have a criminal record that has not been expunged or removed in accordance with the procedure established by law;
– an official request by law enforcement agencies of foreign countries to put you on the wanted list;
– you have provided false information about yourself.
After obtaining the permit, you must apply to the Civil Registry Office (within three months) to draw up a record of the change of name or surname. If you fail to do so without good reason, the permit will become invalid.
What document you receive:
Upon state registration of a change of name or surname, you will be issued a Certificate of Change of Name.
What are the consequences of changing your name?
We can’t say with certainty that changing your name can change your fate, although astrologers and numerologists may argue on this topic, but we can say for sure that changing your first name, surname or patronymic entails a number of legal consequences that cannot be ignored or postponed for later.
After changing your name or patronymic, you should understand that you will now have to go through the procedure of replacing the following documents:
Within one month after changing your name or surname, obtain:
– a new passport of a citizen of Ukraine;
– a new international passport;
– replace the taxpayer registration card (RNOKPP), i.e. identification code;
– a driver’s license;
– make changes to contracts, wills, banking information, registration documents of an entrepreneur (LLC) or individual entrepreneur, medical records, insurance policy, etc;
– perhaps even come up with a new signature with new initials.
NOTE: employment record books, educational documents, and documents establishing property rights do not need to be replaced after a change of surname.
If you have a need to go through all these procedures, the specialists of our law firm will be happy to help you prepare the documents and provide support at all stages, please contact us.
citizens of Ukraine / name / patronymic / procedure for changing / surname
