📝 Can I change my surname in Albania?

With conditions

Quick answer

Yes, but only once and only for “unsuitability”. The myth is that you change your surname whenever you like, as many times as you like. Law no. 10129/2009 “On Civil Status” (amended by no. 130/2013) says the opposite: every citizen has the right to change the name or surname no more than once, and only for reasons of unsuitability — except when you reclaim the name or surname registered in the birth act. The request is made personally, from the age of 18, at the Civil Status Office where you are registered, stating the reasons and the new surname. The file also requires clearance from the prosecutor and from the court. Beware the figure: the fee is 1,000 lek (new) — not 10,000, as it is usually said in old lek. A change of the parents' surname extends to children under 14, while for a child over 14 the child's consent is required.

📋 The rules

Every citizen may change the name or surname no more than once and only for unsuitability (Law no. 10129/2009, article 57/1).
Reclaiming the surname registered in the birth act does not count as that single allowed change.
The request is made personally, from the age of 18, at the Civil Status Office where you are registered, with the reasons and the new surname.
The file requires clearance from the prosecutor and from the court, a birth certificate with a photo and, after the change, a family certificate.
The service fee is 1,000 lek (new), paid at the civil status office; the act is recorded by minutes in the foundational registers.

🔓 Exceptions

Reclaiming the name/surname of the birth act is done without touching the right to the single change.
A change of the parents' surname extends to children under 14; for a child over 14 their consent is required.
Surname changes that come from marriage, divorce or adoption follow their own Family Code rules, not the unsuitability procedure.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

Here the “penalty” is mainly the refusal and the mess that follows. If the request is not based on unsuitability or you have already used your single right, the civil status office rejects it, and you lose the time and the 1,000 lek fee (new — not 10,000 old lek as it is heard). Without the prosecutor's and court's clearance, the file does not move. But the real cost comes after the change: the new surname must be updated on your ID card, passport, driving licence, banks, property, diplomas, contracts and insurance, and every old document with the previous surname needs a link to the new one to prove you are the same person. For children, the change may require the consent of one over 14, and surname mismatches within the family cause snags at school and in services. So a well-considered change from the start spares you a whole chain of corrections.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

How many times can I change my surname?

Only once in a lifetime and only for reasons of unsuitability, under the civil status law. The only exception is reclaiming the surname registered in the birth act, which does not count as that single allowed change.

What is the fee for changing the surname?

The service fee is one thousand new lek, paid at the Civil Status Office where you are registered. This sum is often heard as ten thousand lek, but that is only the value in old lek and it is exactly the same money.

What documents do I need?

You need a request with the reasons and the new surname, clearance from the prosecutor and from the court, and a birth certificate with a photo. After the change you also get a family certificate, and the act is recorded by minutes in the foundational registers.

Can a minor change their surname?

The request is made by the person themselves from the age of eighteen, so a minor does not start the procedure alone. When a change of the parents' surname extends to the child, for a child over fourteen their consent must be obtained.

Can I return to my old surname?

Yes, reclaiming the surname registered in the birth act is allowed and does not touch the right to the single change. Changes that come from marriage, divorce or adoption follow the rules of the Family Code.

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