How to change your name in Turkey from abroad

To change your first name in the Turkish civil register (nüfus kütüğü) you need a court decision, and the court will only grant it for just cause (haklı sebep), under Article 27(1) of the Turkish Civil Code No. 4721 (Türk Medeni Kanunu, TMK). Under Article 36 of the Civil Registration Services Law No. 5490 (Nüfus Hizmetleri Kanunu), the name change case (isim değiştirme davası) is heard by the civil court of first instance (asliye hukuk mahkemesi) in the presence of the head of the civil registry office (nüfus müdürü) or an officer he or she appoints. If you live in Germany or the Netherlands you do not have to travel: a lawyer in Turkey can run the case under your power of attorney.

The legal basis: Article 27 TMK

The first paragraph is short: a change of name may be requested from the judge only on just grounds. An application to the registry office is not enough. No entry in the register may be corrected without a final court judgment (Article 35(1) Law No. 5490).

The other paragraphs deal with the effects:

The change is entered in the register and, under the current wording, announced on the notice portal of the Press Advertising Agency (Basın İlan Kurumu) (Article 27(2)).
Changing your name does not change your personal status (Article 27(3)). Parentage, marital status and citizenship stay as they are.
Anyone harmed by the change may sue to have it set aside within one year of learning of it (Article 27(4)).

The announcement rule is about to change. In its judgment of 25 December 2025 (E. 2025/120, K. 2025/270), the Turkish Constitutional Court annulled the words on the announcement on the Basın İlan Kurumu portal and the second sentence listing what the announcement must contain. According to the note on mevzuat.gov.tr, the annulment takes effect on 1 January 2027.

What counts as just cause?

The law does not define just cause. Where the law tells the judge to take just grounds into account, the judge decides according to law and equity (Article 4 TMK). Whether your name is changed is therefore left to the judge's discretion in your case.

The statute itself does not say what is enough. In the view of this article, grounds that may be put forward include a name that is ridiculous or demeaning, a different name used for years by the people around you, or a name that is constantly misspelled or mispronounced in the country where you live. This is not a list in the law, and it is not based on any verified court decision. Which ground is sufficient depends on the facts and on the judge's discretion.

An entry that has already been changed can be changed again: where there is just cause, a further correction on the same matter may be requested from the judge (Article 36(1)(b) Law No. 5490).

Spelling error or change of name?

Not every wrong name needs a court case. If information is correct in the source document but was entered wrongly or incompletely in the register, that is a clerical error (maddî hata). The General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs or the registry office corrects it itself (Article 35(1) and Article 38(1) Law No. 5490). If the error does not come from transferring the source document into the register, a correction needs a court decision (Article 41(2) of the Civil Registration Services Implementing Regulation, Nüfus Hizmetleri Uygulama Yönetmeliği).

If your birth was reported from abroad, the source document is usually the birth certificate issued by the German Standesamt or the Dutch gemeente (on that procedure, see registering a child born abroad in Turkey). If your name is correct there but different in the Turkish register, it makes sense to ask the registry office in Turkey or the consulate about the clerical error route first.

Which court hears a name change case?

Under Article 36(1)(a) Law No. 5490, cases to correct civil register entries are brought by the persons who want the correction, or by the public prosecutor at the request of the relevant authority, before the competent civil court of first instance at the place of residence. Point (b) of the same paragraph mentions a change of name expressly.

The Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 (Hukuk Muhakemeleri Kanunu, HMK) lists the change of first name and surname and the correction of civil status records among non-contentious matters (çekişmesiz yargı), Article 382(2)(a) HMK. The court for these matters is in principle the civil court of peace (sulh hukuk mahkemesi), but only "unless otherwise provided" (Article 383 HMK). For register entries, Article 36 Law No. 5490 is such a provision and gives the case to the civil court of first instance.

For people living abroad, venue is not clearly settled. The address of Turkish citizens resident abroad is recorded by their address in that country or by the country and the consulate they belong to (Article 49(3) Law No. 5490). The international jurisdiction of Turkish courts follows the domestic rules on venue (Article 40 of Law No. 5718 on Private International and Procedural Law, MÖHUK). The law does not say expressly which court in Turkey hears the case of someone whose only residence is in Germany or the Netherlands. This should be looked at for your situation before the case is filed.

Who takes part, and what the judgment changes

Who is the case brought against?

A name change is a non-contentious matter, and Law No. 5490 names no defendant. What it requires is that the case is heard in the presence of the head of the registry office or an officer he or she appoints (Article 36(1)(a)). Under the Regulation, that person takes part as a party representing the registry office and tells the court, in writing or at the hearing, whether the request complies with the rules (Article 31(1) and (2) of the Regulation).

Since 2011 the public prosecutor no longer has to be present: Article 31 of Law No. 6217 removed the words "Cumhuriyet Savcısı ve" from Article 36(1)(a). The prosecutor's power to bring a case remains in the text.

Registry offices may appeal court decisions by any legal remedy and are exempt from court fees and costs (Article 37 Law No. 5490). In non-contentious matters the court investigates of its own motion (Article 385(2) HMK), so it may hear witnesses or ask for documents itself.

What changes in the register after the judgment?

Once final, the judgment is entered in the register. When your first name changes, the registry office also corrects the father's or mother's name in your children's records (Article 36(1)(b) Law No. 5490). Under the Regulation, the judgment does not need to order this, and the records of adult children who have left the household are corrected too (Article 34(1)(b)). Where a surname is changed, the surname of the spouse and of minor children is corrected as well (Article 36(1)(b) Law No. 5490).

Is a name change made in Germany recorded in Turkey?

In Germany, administrative name changes are governed by the Namensänderungsgesetz (NamÄndG). It applies to Germans, stateless persons and certain foreigners living in Germany (§ 1) and applies to first names as well (§ 11). In the Netherlands the procedure is a matter of Dutch law. For either, please contact the competent authority or a lawyer admitted in that country.

Under Turkish law, changes in personal status that a person with more than one citizenship made under their other citizenship can be entered in the family register if a written request is made, the change took place in line with Turkish law, and the register already notes the multiple citizenship (Article 21(1) of the Regulation). Foreign court decisions are as a rule acted on only after recognition (tanıma) or enforcement (tenfiz) by a Turkish court (Article 60(1) of the Regulation).

This point is disputed. Whether a name change granted by a German authority can be entered directly under these rules, given that Article 27 TMK reserves a change of name to the judge, is not expressly regulated in the law, and this article does not rely on any verified court decision. How the registry office and a court will proceed in a given case is not certain.

Bringing the case from abroad by power of attorney

You can instruct a lawyer in Turkey with a litigation power of attorney (dava vekâletnamesi). It can be made at a Turkish consulate or before a notary in your country of residence with an apostille and a certified Turkish translation. Without express authority the representative cannot, for example, waive the claim or a legal remedy (Article 74 HMK), so settle which powers you are granting before you sign.

Frequently asked questions

Which court handles a name change in Turkey?

The civil court of first instance (asliye hukuk mahkemesi), Article 36(1)(a) Law No. 5490. Venue follows the place of residence; the law names no separate venue for people who live only abroad.

Who is the name change case brought against?

It is a non-contentious matter (Article 382(2)(a) HMK). The case is heard in the presence of the head of the registry office or an appointed officer, and the registry office takes part as a party (Article 36(1)(a) Law No. 5490, Article 31 of the Regulation).

How long does a name change in Turkey take?

The law sets no fixed duration. It depends on the court's workload, on witnesses and on when the judgment becomes final; the registry office may also appeal (Article 37 Law No. 5490).

What does a name change cost?

I could not verify current court fees and costs for this article, so no figure is given here. The court where the case is filed can tell you the current amount.

Will my children's records change too?

Yes. When your first name changes, the registry office corrects the father's or mother's name in your children's records (Article 36(1)(b) Law No. 5490; Article 34(1)(b) of the Regulation).

Sources

Questions about your case

If you want to change your name in the Turkish register or have a misspelled name corrected, for example to find out whether it is a clerical error or needs a court case, which court may be competent, or how a name change made in Germany is treated in the Turkish register, you can choose an online video, telephone or in-person meeting in Düsseldorf on the appointment page. You can also send your question in writing through the contact form. Meetings are held in Turkish and cover Turkish law only (§ 206 BRAO); questions on changing your name under German or Dutch law belong with the competent authority or a lawyer admitted in that country. It helps to have ready:

a current Turkish civil register extract (nüfus kayıt örneği),
foreign documents showing your name (birth certificate and, if any, the German name change decision),
documents supporting your reason for the change.

Other topics are listed under family law.