Not happy with the first name you were given at birth? Would you like to change your first name or add one? As easy as it is for your parents to give you a name at birth, changing it later is not so simple.
According to the legislator, the company has an interest in the continuity of a name. Therefore, the person who wishes to change his/her name must have a serious interest in this change. For this reason, the legislator has determined that a judge must be involved in order to decide whether a change of first name can be implemented. The judge must weigh up the interests of society in terms of continuity and the compelling interest of the person who wishes to change his/her first name.
What is considered a compelling interest by the judges in the Netherlands? Examples of court decisions in which the request for a change of first name has been granted are cases where a person has changed religion or gender and the current name has become inappropriate, where a person is greatly inconvenienced by the name, for example because he or she is bullied by it at school, or simply because a typing error was made when giving the first name at birth.
How does a change of first name procedure work? With the help of a lawyer, a petition is submitted to the court. The civil department of the municipality will evaluate the request and then the judge will decide, with or without a hearing, if the request for a change of first name is admissible in accordance with the requirements of the law. If the request is granted, the municipality will enter the new first name in the civil status records.
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