How can I change my surname and how much does it cost?
Conditional — everyone has the right to change their surname, but through a prescribed procedure and subject to legal barriers. Under the Personal Name Act, every person has the right to change their personal name, and the surname is part of it. The request is not filed with the registrar but with the competent administrative body of the county or the City of Zagreb by residence, and it must include a court certificate that no criminal proceedings are pending against you. Here the myth that changing a surname „costs a lot” falls: under the Tariff of Administrative Fees no administrative fee is charged — the procedure itself is free, and you pay only for new documents (ID card, passport, driving licence). The change will not be approved if the proposed name offends the rights of others or public morality, or if criminal proceedings for an offence prosecuted ex officio are pending against you. After divorce there is also a quicker route: reverting to your pre-marriage surname within one year, by statement before the registrar.
📋 The rules
- The right to change: every person has the right to change their personal name, including the surname (Personal Name Act, Art. 6).
- Who decides: the request is decided by the competent administrative body of the county or the City of Zagreb by residence — not the registrar, who only later enters the change in the birth register.
- Mandatory attachment: the request must include a court certificate that no criminal proceedings are pending against the applicant; the body also obtains criminal-record data.
- A free procedure: under the Tariff of Administrative Fees no administrative fee is charged for a change of personal name; the only cost is new personal documents.
- Reverting to the old surname: a spouse who changed their surname may, after the marriage ends, revert within one year to the pre-marriage surname by statement before the registrar, without the whole change procedure.
🔓 Exceptions
- When it is refused: the change will not be approved if the proposed name offends the rights and freedoms of others, the legal order or public morality, or if it is not a genuine personal name.
- Pending criminal case: a person against whom proceedings are pending for a criminal offence prosecuted ex officio will not be granted a change.
- Minors: a child's surname is changed at the request of both parents or with the consent of the other parent, and for a child older than 10 the child's consent is also required.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The change of surname itself carries no penalty, but the law punishes inconsistency after it. Anyone who, after a registered change, keeps using the old name in legal transactions commits a misdemeanour — and here is the kuna trap: the Personal Name Act is still written in kuna and sets a fine of 3,000.00 to 4,500.00 kuna, which at the fixed rate (1 € = 7.53450 kn) is roughly 398 to 597 euros. The hidden costs are practical: after the change you must replace your ID card, passport, driving and health documents, notify your bank, employer and public registers, and mismatched data can block payments and contracts. If you miss the one-year deadline to revert to your pre-marriage surname, only the ordinary change procedure remains. So it pays to carry the change out properly and align all documents at once.
📎 Official sources
- zakon.hr — Personal Name Act / Zakon o osobnom imenu (change of name, Arts. 6–11) →
- gov.hr — replacing personal documents →
- Narodne novine — Personal Name Act (NN 118/12, 70/17, 98/19) →
❓ Frequently asked
Where do I file a request to change my surname?
The request is filed with the competent administrative body of the county, or the City of Zagreb, by your residence, not with the registrar. The registrar only later enters the change in the birth register and notifies the bodies that keep records on citizens.
How much does changing a surname cost?
The administrative procedure itself is free, because under the Tariff of Administrative Fees no fee is charged for a change of personal name. A cost arises only when making new documents such as an ID card, passport and driving licence.
Can I change my surname if proceedings are pending against me?
No, the change will not be approved for a person against whom criminal proceedings are pending for an offence prosecuted ex officio. That is why the request must include a court certificate that no criminal proceedings are pending against the applicant.
How do I revert to my maiden surname after divorce?
A spouse who changed their surname may, within one year of the marriage ending, revert to the pre-marriage surname by a simple statement before the registrar. After that one-year period, only the ordinary change-of-name procedure remains available.
Must I use the new surname on all documents?
Yes, from the day the change is entered you must use the new name in legal transactions. If you keep using the old one, it is a misdemeanour for which the law, still in kuna, sets a fine of 3,000 to 4,500 kuna, about 398 to 597 euros.
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