First name change

Verified 24 février 2025 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Your situation

  • Change of first name(s)
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Step-by-step approach

You can ask change your first name.

You can also ask:

  • Adding a first name
  • The deletion a first name
  • Changing the order of your first names.

First name change request must have a legitimate interest.

Examples:

  • Your first name or the junction between your first and last name is ridiculous or prejudicial to you
  • Other people (parents, siblings, employers, colleagues) call you by a first name other than your original first name.

The request for a change of first name shall not be contrary to the best interests of the child or to rights of others to have their surnames protected.

Reminder

Any given name entered in the birth certificate can be chosen as the common first name, regardless of its order.

The approach is free.

The file to make a first name change request is different depending on whether you are an adult or a minor.

You must provide the following credentials:

  • Original full copy of your foreigners birth certificate
    The document must be accompanied by its translation by a certified translator.
    If necessary, the act must have been legalized or apostilled. See the summary table of the current state of treaty law in legalization or contact your embassy or consulate.
    The document must have been issued for a maximum of 6 months or be accompanied by a certificate stating that no more recent copy of the document is possible. The certificate must be issued by your embassy or consulate or a competent authority in your country.
  • Custom certificate indicating the rules of your country concerning first name and change of first name. It is best to provide the original.

Warning  

Your request for a change of name cannot be examined if you are a national of only one of the following countries: Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey. However, your request is permissible if you are also a French national (dual nationality) or a refugee, stateless person or beneficiary of subsidiary protection (Ofpra: titleContent).

Please note

The first name change request can be made separately or at the same time as another procedure. For example, acquisition of French nationality (francization), change in the indication of sex on civil status documents, rectification of a material error in a civil status record.

You live in France

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You're French

You must submit the application and the supporting documents to the town hall of your residence or to the town hall of your birthplace.

Who shall I contact

One receipt for filing the application it's given to you.

You're a foreigner

You must submit the application and the supporting documents to the town hall of your residence.

Who shall I contact

One receipt for filing the application it's given to you.

You are a refugee, stateless person or subsidiary protection beneficiary (Ofpra)

You must submit the application and the supporting documents to the town hall of your residence.

Who shall I contact

One receipt for filing the application it's given to you.

If the registrar feels that your request for a change of first name does not have a legitimate interest, he must contact the public prosecutor.

The registrar must inform you that he has contacted the public prosecutor.

The public prosecutor may accept or refuse your request for a change of name.

The decision is yours notified.

In the event of a refusal decision, you can to appeal to the family affairs judge.

The lawyer is obligatory. He's the one who does the walk.

You will receive a copy of the decision regarding your name change.

Your civil registration records are updated.

Once your birth certificate has been updated, you must change your credentials (identity card, passport).

You have to do the walk in a three-month period from the time you update your birth certificate.

Please note

Using an identity document that does not correspond to your civil status is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to €50,000.

First Name Change Request

Request to change the first name of a minor child

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