Back to Resources Main page

---

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR NAME IN NEW ZEALAND

To have a change of name officially recognised, you need to register it with Births, Deaths and Marriages. This is done by making a Statutory Declaration (an officially signed and witnessed statement) on a form you can download below. The form is also available by contacting us.

If the new name is accepted, it is then registered by Births, Deaths and Marriages. Any New Zealand birth certificate issued after the new name has been registered will show both the name registered at birth and all changes of name for that person.

Changing Your Name

If you are 18 years or over, or you are or have been married, you may apply to change your own name by completing a Change of Name by Statutory Declaration application form (.pdf) 19k. To read or print this form, you need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program free from the Adobe site.

Together with the form you must send:

Your full birth certificate or other acceptable evidence of your name, date and place of birth (eg, your passport)

The correct fee (NZ$125.00 if your birth is registered in New Zealand, or NZ$80.00 if registered overseas)

If you are married, a change of name can be noted on your marriage registration.

Please complete all questions in the 'Legally Married' section of the form. There is an additional charge of NZ$45.00 for this service. This can only be done if the marriage took place in New Zealand.

Back to Resources Main page

---