Spouses can change their pre-marital surname years after marriage - Ministry of Justice
Kyiv • UNN
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine clarified that spouses have the right to change their surname after marriage registration, even years after living together. The procedure involves submitting an application to the relevant authorities.
Spouses retaining their surnames during marriage registration does not deprive them of the right to change their decision later. Ukrainian legislation allows changing surnames during married life. This was reported by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, according to UNN.
Details
According to preliminary information, wives and husbands have equal rights in choosing a surname. They can change their pre-marital surname even after years of living together.
The legislation provides a clear and understandable procedure for such a change without restrictions on the duration of the marriage.
To change their surname, spouses must submit an application to the Civil Registry Office, ASC, or diplomatic mission or consular institution of Ukraine.
Spouses can choose one of their surnames as a common one or add the surname of the other spouse to their own. If both wish to have a double surname, the order of its composition is determined by mutual agreement. The formation of more than two surnames is not allowed, unless otherwise provided by the custom of a national minority.
After the surname change, the Civil Registry Office issues a new marriage certificate
Recall
More than 50 couples were denied online marriage registration through "Diia": 17 in 2024 and 40 in 2025. In a year of the service's operation, more than 17,000 couples got married online.