How to change a surname in Türkiye: the rules today

A word first

This article summarises what the legislation says. It is not legal advice. For your own case, ask a civil registry office (nüfus müdürlüğü), a lawyer, or, if you live abroad, a Turkish consulate. The information below reflects the legal texts as of the date this page was last updated.

How is a surname changed?

Normally by court order. Article 10 of the Surname Law says that once the law’s own period has passed, surname changes fall under the Civil Code. Article 27 of the current Turkish Civil Code, Law No. 4721, opens with: a change of name may be requested from a judge only on justified grounds.

The Civil Registry Services Law (No. 5490) sets the same principle from the registry side. Under Article 35, no entry in the population register may be corrected without a final court judgment. The one exception is clerical error: where the source document is right but the register was filled in wrongly or incompletely, the registry office corrects it itself.

Where is the case filed, and what does the ruling change?

Under Article 36 of Law No. 5490, correction cases go to the civil court of first instance (asliye hukuk mahkemesi) where the person lives. The person seeking the change can file. So can the public prosecutor, at the request of the relevant public office. Cases are heard in the presence of the registry director or a registry officer they appoint.

The ruling does not stop with the applicant. When a surname changes, the registry office also changes the surname of the spouse and of any minor children.

One more change is worth knowing. Since 2017, a further correction on the same matter can be requested if there are justified grounds.

How is the change made public?

Article 27(2) of the Civil Code was amended by Law No. 7532, with effect from 27 November 2024. A name change is now entered in the civil register and announced on the notice portal of the Press Advertising Agency (Basın İlan Kurumu).

The notice gives: the court, the date of the decision, the case and decision numbers, the person’s place of registration, date of birth, parents’ names, previous name and surname, and the new name and surname given by the court.

The rest of the article adds two safeguards. A name change does not change a person’s personal status. And anyone harmed by a name change may sue to have it overturned within one year of learning of it.

Are the 2017 and 2019 “one-time” routes still open?

No. Both were time-limited.

• 2017: Law No. 7039 added Temporary Article 8 to the Civil Registry Services Law; it was published on 3 November 2017. For two years, on a written application to the registry office, surnames contrary to Article 3 of the Surname Law, and names or surnames whose meaning had changed through spelling errors or missing diacritics, could be changed once without a court order, by decision of the provincial or district administrative board.
• 2019: Law No. 7196 added Temporary Article 11; it was published on 24 December 2019. It reopened the same route for three years and extended it to names and surnames that offend public morals or are considered ridiculous by the public. The President could extend the period once, by up to its own length.

In both cases the board’s decision was final. If a man’s surname changed, his wife’s and minor children’s changed too; if a woman’s, that of her minor children born outside marriage.

Even with the maximum extension, the 2019 window would have closed on 24 December 2025. So this administrative route is no longer available. The general rule, a court case, applies.

What happens to a woman’s surname on marriage?

This has changed recently.

Article 187 of the Civil Code, headed “The wife’s surname”, was annulled by the Constitutional Court in a decision of 22 February 2023 (case 2022/155, decision 2023/38). The code’s table of amendments shows the annulment taking effect on 28 January 2024. Today only the annulment note stands where the article was.

Article 17 of the Surname Regulation still reads: a woman takes her husband’s surname on marriage, but may, by written application to the marriage officer or later to the registry, also use her previous surname in front of her husband’s. That text has not changed since its basis in the Civil Code was annulled.

The legal texts alone do not make clear which options a woman marrying after the annulment now has. Before marrying, we suggest asking the registry office or the marriage office how they currently apply the rules.

What happens on divorce?

Under Article 173 of the Civil Code, a divorced woman takes back her pre-marriage surname. A judge may let her keep her former husband’s surname if she has an interest in doing so and it does him no harm.

Since 2017, some cases can be settled without a court. Under Additional Article 3 of the Civil Registry Services Law, on written request the registry office lets:

• a divorced woman who was allowed to keep her ex-husband’s surname return to her pre-marriage surname;
• a woman using her previous surname together with her husband’s use her husband’s surname alone.

How are children’s and adoptees’ surnames set?

Under Article 321 of the Civil Code, a child of married parents carries the family surname. Under Article 314, a minor adoptee takes the adopter’s surname; an adult adoptee may choose to.

What if my surname is a word banned in 1934?

Article 3 of the Surname Law and Articles 7 to 11 of the regulation are still in force. Under Article 12 of the regulation, to change a name that breaks them, the public prosecutor, at the request of the relevant public office, brings a case before the civil court where the person lives. The person can also sue under Article 27 of the Civil Code. Any new surname must come from Turkish and avoid the same bans. See banned surnames.

I live in Germany or elsewhere abroad. Does this apply to me?

These rules concern the Turkish civil register. If you hold Turkish citizenship, your Turkish record follows Turkish law, and life events abroad are reported through the consulates. How your name appears in documents of your country of residence is a matter for that country’s law, which this article does not cover.