Service introduction

Serve type: G2C

Service Average time: up to one week

Service hours: office hours and outside office hours

Number of in-person visits: 1 time

Service ID

Service link in government services management system

According to Article 997 of Civil Law:

Everyone should have a surname.

According to Article 40 of civil registration law:

Any change in surname shall be exclusively made upon approval of NOCR.

According to Article 41 civil registration law:

The child's surname shall be the same surname of his/her father.  

The surname priority right holder is a person that a specific surname has been registered for him/her for the first time with an independent civil registration department            and that surname is particular to him/her. 

The surname priority right is transferred to deceased's legal heirs, after the death of person.

  The surname priority right holder and or his/her legal heirs may authorize other persons to use their surname, provided that their identity cards have been issued by            one civil registration department.

   We may request for change of our surname in the following cases:

1- Surname has been consisted of more than two words and or more than one word and a letter or number or suffix or would be merely and additionally the name of a place , such as: Do Asl Tehrani,  Ali Nejad Motlagh, Adnan Tekan Tapeh Tehrani, A Hosseini Pour, Tabatabaei

2- Surname has been compounded of obscene and indecent words, such as: Geda Pour, Pedar Soukhteh, and Lash.

3- Surname is foreign words, such as: Aliyev for non-immigrant Iranian or Arakelian for Moslems.

4- Disagreeable surnames which are contradictory to values of Islamic Culture.

5- The words which are merely and additionally the name of a place, such as Karaji, Afkhami Tabrizi.
Note 1- Deletion of the name of a place is done from the surname notwithstanding the provisions pertaining to holder of surname priority right, such as Hosseini Shirazi to Hosseini or Akbari Aliabadi to Akbari.
Note 2- Note 2- Deletion of the name of tribes and occupations from the surname is done notwithstanding the provisions pertaining to holder of surname priority right, such as Kuravand to Rasuli or Mohammadi Naghash (Painter) to Mohammadi

6- If the surname has been merely consisted of titles and names of academic titles, either ranks or academic institutes, such as Doctor, University, or governmental positions, including civil or military, such as Sarhang (Colonel in English), Shahrdar (Mayor in English).

7- It is authorized to use the husband's surname for the wife as long as she has marital relationship with the husband while presenting the husband's permission notwithstanding the provisions of surname priority right. 
In case of divorce, the wife's civil document as well as her ID card are changed to her initial surname upon the husband's objection. 
If the husband passes away, the wife shall be entitled to use the surname of her deceased' husband as long as she has not married or change her surname to her initial surname.
8. Father, upon to his surname change , can request to change his under 18 age children's surname and the adult children can change their surnames by presenting father's permit and without regarding to priority right.

9- If a father changes his surname and passes away, each one of the deceased's children shall be entitled to change his/her surname to the father's surname in accordance with article 41 of National Organization for Civil Registration Law.

The following persons, who have a changeable surname, may refer to civil registration department of their place of residence and request for changing their surname.

1)             Individuals above 18 years

2)             Persons below 18 years old by presenting Growth Award.

3)             Father or paternal grandfather while submitting identity card, for children below 18 years old if their father's surname has been changed.

4)             Legal guardian or administrator of minor children, while submitting the relevant documents in which his/her position has been ascertained.

Necessary Documents:

1)    Completed surname change applicant form
2)    Original ID card and two copies of all pages
3)     Notarial permit on behalf of the father or paternal grandfather for the major children who are going to use their surname.
4) Notarial permit on behalf of the holder of priority right of the requested surname. 
Note: It is also possible to draw up the above mentioned permits at civil registration departments. 

5)   Women who intend to adopt her husbands' surname should present the following documents:

a)      surname change applicant

b)      The original & copy of applicant's ID card (booklet)

c)      Husband's permit

d)   The original & copy of all pages of husband's ID card and marriage certificate. 

How to Refer:

Surname change application procedure

1- For modification or amendment of surname, all departments of National Organization for Civil Registration may receive the above mentioned documents within office hours and days. Submission of surname change application in a place other than issuance place of the ID Card is of no restriction; in this case, after receiving the request and sending to the relevant department (issuance place of the ID Card), the necessary measure shall be taken and the result to be notified to the sending department for the applicant's information. 

2- Since the request for changing surname must be approved by National Organization for Civil Registration, therefore, any change in the surname shall be subject to the approval of this organization.

3- Upon agreement with change of surname, the following measures shall be taken.

4- The agreement concerning change of surname shall be notified to the applicant by the concerned civil registration department.

5- Written request for execution of surname change in the civil documents by the applicant and request for replacement of the existing identity card

6- Payment of the relevant fees as per the current tariff.

Necessary Recommendations:

It is not possible to change the secondary surname to the former surname; so please select your new surname carefully.

Application  form

Behind the surname change form

Steps to change surname service