If you have a valid reason to change the name you were born with, you may be allowed to do so. Here is how you can go about this process in Switzerland.
In principle, in Switzerland, as pretty much everywhere in the world, the name you were given at birth is the name you will carry for the rest of your life.
While your surname may change upon marriage (especially if you are a woman, but not only – see below), your first name will be part of your identity – both emotionally and legally.
The vast majority of people are fine with that (even though some may not like their name all that much), while a small minority takes steps to change it.
Under what circumstances can you take on a ‘new identity’?
The most common reason is marriage, when one or both spouses may want to change their surnames.
Unlike was the case in the past, when wives typically took on their husband’s last name, these days the opposite situation is possible as well – that is, the husband can “adopt” the wife’s name.
This process is relatively simple: when marrying in a civil ceremony (which is obligatory in Switzerland, regardless of whether you have a religious wedding afterwards), you will be asked what name you will carry – will each of you keep your own, or will both of you share either spouse’s name.
(Note that since 2013, double-barrelled names have not been allowed, though legislations have been debating their comeback).
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What happens if you get divorced?
You will be given a certain time (usually 90 days) to decide whether to keep your married name or revert to the one you had before.
Another reason for a name change, though much less common than marriage or divorce, is the gender reassignment surgery.
In 2018, the government decided that “transgender and gender-variant individuals should be able to change the civil register entries for their gender and first name without any red tape”.
You can find more about this here.
These are pretty straightforward situations, with relatively little bureaucracy involved in the process.
On the other hand, taking on a new first or last name – or both – for reasons other than a change of civil status is more complex.
What will you have to do?
You can’t just decide on a whim that you want to have a totally new identity.
You would need to provide the civil registry authorities in your canton solid grounds as to why you decided to take this drastic step.
Legitimate reasons include your name having a negative impact on your life – for instance, your name is very unusual, or that it incites mockery or ridicule from others.
This, by the way, is the reason why parents in Switzerland are not permitted to give their children names that could damage their well-being.
If you fall into this unfortunate category, you can petition your local civil registry office for a name change, proposing an alternative to your birth name.
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Is this process in place for Swiss citizens only, or can foreigners benefit from it as well?
The mere fact of having a foreign-sounding name may not be deemed a good enough reason for a change.
However, since November 2024, Swiss residents with names that include special characters from European languages other than German or French can now change how their names are spelled out in the country’s records.
An example is the “c” with an acute accent (ć) in Croatian, and the ^ used in other languages.
You can read more about this process here: Switzerland to relax rules around foreign names
