Name changes & Birth Certificates
There are few legal restrictions on changing your name. You need to be eligible to change your name and you must choose a name that is not offensive and is not a title (e.g. Sir, Justice). There are no requirements that say that your name must match your appearance or gender identity. Whether a New Zealand name change is recognised in another country will depend on that country.
Am I eligible?
You can change your name in New Zealand whether or not your birth is registered here, as long as you have permanent residency status. To change your name in another country you will need to investigate the laws of that country.
How do I change my name (and get it on my birth certificate) if I am over 18?
Here is a summary of what you will need to do to change your name since you’re over 18. You can also find the official information on the government website here.
You'll need to bring one photo ID and a copy of it so that you can get it certified by the Justice of the Peace, Solicitor of the High Court or Deputy Registrar of the Court (though not all courts are available to certify papers) when you sign your statutory declaration. This needs to be in your current legal name. You can bring one of:
Your passport
Your driver’s licence
Firearms or dealer’s licence
Defence force or police service photo ID card
NZ emergency travel document
NZ certificate of identity
NZ refugee travel document
Kiwi Access Card (or overseas proof of age card)
You then need two copies of different documents that show your current legal name.
If they aren’t originals, then they need to be certified copies (This means that the Justice of the Peace, Solicitor of the High Court or the Deputy Registrar of the Court needs to see the original and the photocopy, and will stamp or endorse the photocopy).
This can be a:
Utility account bill
Bank statement
Lease or tenancy agreement
Rates notice
IRD tax statement
Electoral roll record
Motor vehicle registration
Student or tertiary identity card
Educational certificate or school report
Trade certificate
Steps to Freedom grant confirmation letter
Immigration New Zealand confirmation of visa/permit status
Certificate of approval or licence issued by the Private Security Personnel Licencing Authority
You then need to fill out this form, and sign it in front of a notified person. This can be done by a Justice of the Peace, a Solicitor of the High Court, or a Deputy Registrar at a court (not all courts will be able to certify copies). You can find a local Justice of the Peace here
You can then book an appointment in Auckland, Manakau, Wellington or Christchurch to hand over your documents and pay for your name change here.
If you’re not close to any of those then you can post your documents to:
Name Change Team
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 10-526
Wellington 6143
You will need to put your credit card or debit plus card details on the form -- the fee for the name change is $170.00, the fee for a new birth certificate recording the name change is $33, but postage will be a little more (usually $5).
How do I change my name (and get it on my birth certificate) if I am under 18?
You require permission from all of your legal parents/guardians to legally change your name unless you are 16 or 17 and in a marriage or a civil union, in which case you can do it yourself.
If you do not think that one or more of them will agree or go through the process, you can wait until your 18th birthday, when you can change it by yourself. In the meantime you can call yourself what you like unofficially, but you cannot legally change your name by yourself until you are 18.
If your parents/guardians are agreeable though, this is the process that they will need to follow -- note, to be eligible you must have been born here, a New Zealand citizen or entitled to live here indefinitely. You can also find the official information on the website here.
Firstly, all your legal parents/guardians will need to fill out this form. If you are 16 or 17, then you will also need to sign it to show that you agree with the name change. If you are 15 or younger, then you do not need to.
Secondly all your parents/guardians will need to have a certified copy of an ID, one of:
Their passport
Driver’s Licence
Firearms or dealer’s licence
Defensive force or police service photo identity card
NZ emergency travel documents
NZ Certificate of Identity
NZ refugee travel document
Kiwi Access card or overseas proof of age card
A certified copy means a photocopy that has been stamped or endorsed by a person who confirms that the copy is a true copy of the original document. You can get this done by a Justice of the Peace, a Solicitor of the High Court, or a Deputy Registrar at a court (not all courts will be able to certify copies). You can find a local Justice of the Peace here.
Secondly, all your parents/guardians will also need to bring proof of identity. These can either be an original document or a certified copy. They must bring two different documents in their names. These can include a:
utility account bill
bank statement
lease or tenancy agreement
rate notice
Supergold card
Inland Revenue Tax statement
electoral roll record
motor vehicle registration
student or tertiary identity card
educational certificate or school report
trade certificate
certificate of approval or licence issued by Private Security Personnel Licencing Authority
Steps to Freedom form
Confirmation of a permit status from Immigration NZ
Thirdly, they will need to find an authorised person to sign the statutory declaration. All your legal parents/guardians need to show their photo ID to the person signing.
You can get this done by a Justice of the Peace, a Solicitor of the High Court, or a Deputy Registrar at a court (not all courts will be able to certify copies). You can find a local Justice of the Peace here.
You can then book an appointment in Auckland, Manakau, Wellington or Christchurch to hand over your documents and pay for your name change here.
If you’re not close to any of those then you can post your documents to:
Name Change Team
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 10-526
Wellington 6143
Either you or one of your parents/guardians or someone else will need to put their credit card or debit plus card details on the form. The fee for the name change is $170.00, the fee for a new birth certificate recording the name change is $33, but postage will be a little more (usually $5).
How do I change my gender marker on my birth certificate if I am over 18?
Because of the new self-identification process, you can now self-declare your sex marker on your birth certificate. You no longer have to go through the Family Court to do so.
As you are over 18, this is a relatively simple process. You can choose either M (Male), F (Female) or X (Nonbinary). You can also find the process here
You will need to fill out this form, and as part of it you will need to have the statutory declaration signed in front of an authorised person. This can be done by a Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, a Justice of the Peace, a Solicitor of the High Court, or a Registrar or a Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal or a District Court, or a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court. You can find a local Justice of the Peace here.
You will also need to provide a certified true copy of one of the following -- it must contain your photo.
New Zealand or Overseas passport (photo page only)
New Zealand or international drivers licence (front and back)
New Zealand or overseas firearms or dealers licence
New Zealand or overseas defence force or police service photo identity card
Overseas identity card
18+ card or Kiwi access card (issued by Hospitality New Zealand)
Overseas proof of age card
A certified true copy means a photocopy that has been stamped or endorsed by the notified person. They will need to sight the original as well as the photocopy. You will need to send this along with the form.
The application fee to update the sex marker is $55, then you will need to get another copy of your birth certificate, which is $33. The courier fee is $5. You will need to write down a credit or debit card number.
Once you have your application form (including your statutory declaration) and certified true copy you will need to post them to:
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 10-526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
How do I change my gender marker on my birth certificate if I am 16 or 17?
Since you want to just change your sex marker on your birth certificate you will require all your parents or guardians’ permission or a Letter of Support for a third party. If you are married or in a civil union, you can do it yourself. If you don’t think that any one of them will agree or give permission, or you are unable to get a suitable Letter of Support, then you can wait until you are 18 and do it yourself.
The Letter of Support can be from:
a doctor
a psychologist
a psychotherapist
a nurse
a social Worker
a registered counsellor
All of these need to be registered to work in New Zealand.
You can also get a Letter of Support from a person aged 18 or over who has known you for 12 months or more.
You and your parents/ guardians will need to fill out this form.
You will be able to change the sex marker on your birth certificate to male (M), female (F) or non-binary (X).
You will need to include a certified true copy of a form of photo ID. This means that it is a photocopy of a form of ID that a notified person has seen and sighted the original. This can be a Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages, a Justice of the Peace, or a Registrar or a deputy registrar of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court or District Court, or a Solicitor or Barrister of the High Court. If you’d like to find your local Justice of the Peace, you can find them here.
Your form of ID can be:
New Zealand or overseas passport (photo page only)
New Zealand or overseas school photo ID
New Zealand or international driver licence (copy of front and back)
Overseas identity card
The form has a statutory declaration as part of it. This means you need to sign in front of a notified person and affirm that what you are stating is true. You can get them to sign your certified true copy at the same time.
You will need to put your credit card or debit plus card details on the form -- the fee for the sex marker is $55, the fee for a new birth certificate recording the name change and sex maker is $33, but postage will be a little more (usually $5).
You can then post your documents to:
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 10-526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
How do I change my gender marker on my birth certificate if I am 15 or under?
Because you are 15 or under, your parents/guardians will have to fill in the form for you. If you are 18, you will be able to do it completely by yourself and will not need anybody’s permission to do so.
They will need to fill in this form.
They will be able to change the sex marker on your birth certificate to male (M), female (F) or non-binary (X).
Your parents must provide a Letter of Support. This can be from:
a doctor
a psychologist
a psychotherapist
a nurse
a social worker
a registered counsellor
All of these need to be registered to work in New Zealand.
They can also get a Letter of Support from a person aged 18 or over who has known you for 12 months or more.
They will need to have all your parent’s/guardians’ consent in order to change your marker.
All your parents/guardians must provide a certified true copy of a current photo identification. This means that they will need to take the original to a notified person. This can be a Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages, a Justice of the Peace, or a Registrar or a deputy registrar of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court or District Court, or a Solicitor or Barrister of the High Court. If you’d like to find your local Justice of the Peace, you can find them here.
The photo ID can be one of:
New Zealand or overseas passport (photo page only)
New Zealand or international driver licence (copy of front and back)
New Zealand or overseas firearms or dealer’s licence
New Zealand or overseas defence force or police service photo identity card
Overseas identity card
18+ card or Kiwi Access Card (issued by Hopitality New Zealand) or overseas proof of age card
New Zealand Emergency Travel Document
New Zealand Certificate of Identity (issued under the Passports Act 1992)
New Zealand Certificate of Identity (issued under the Immigration Act 2009)
New Zealand Refugee Travel Document
All your parents/guardians must sign a statutory declaration on the form. This means that they will sign the form before the notified person and will affirm that what they are saying is correct.
You will need to put your or your parents/guardians credit card or debit plus card details on the form -- the fee for the sex marker is $55, the fee for a new birth certificate recording the name change and sex maker is $33, but postage will be a little more (usually $5).
You can then post your documents to:
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 10-526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
What if I am over 18 and want to change my name AND gender marker on my birth certificate at the same time?
You will be able to change the sex marker on your birth certificate to male (M), female (F) or non-binary (X). You will need to fill out this form.
You'll need to bring one photo ID and a copy of it so that it can be certified by an authorised person. This can be done by a Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, a Justice of the Peace, a Solicitor of the High Court, or a Registrar or a Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal or a District Court, or a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court. You can find a local Justice of the Peace here.
This needs to be in your current legal name. You can bring one of:
Your passport (New Zealand or overseas)
Your driver’s licence (copy of front and back)
New Zealand Firearms or dealer’s licence
New Zealand or overseas defence force or police service photo ID card
18+ Card or Kiwi Access Card (issued by Hospitality New Zealand) or overseas proof of age card
You then need two copies of different documents that show your current legal name in the community. These do not need to be certified true copies (this means that the authorised person does not need to sign them).
This can be a:
Rates notice
Electoral roll record
Motor vehicle registration
Student or tertiary identity card
Educational certificate or school report
Trade certificate
Steps to Freedom form
Community services card
Utility accounts (including gas, water, electricity, mobile or home phone)
Bank statements (including savings, credit or cheque account
Lease or tenancy agreements)
Inland Tax revenue tax number (provide an IR card or statement)
Certificate of approval or licence issued by Private Security Personnel Licence Authority
The form has a statutory declaration as part of it. This means you need to sign in front of an authorised person. This is the same as above.
You will need to put your credit card or debit plus card details on the form -- the fee for the name change is $170.00, the fee for the gender marker is $55, the fee for a new birth certificate recording the name change and gender maker is $33, but postage will be a little more (usually $5).
You can then post your documents to:
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 10-526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
What if I am 16 or 17 and want to change my name AND gender marker on my birth certificate at the same time?
You will require all your parents or guardians’ permission or a Letter of Support for a third party unless you are currently married or in a civil union. If you don’t think that any one of them will agree or give permission, or you are unable to get a suitable Letter of Support, then you can wait until you are 18 and do it yourself.
The Letter of Support can be from:
a doctor
a psychologist
a psychotherapist
a nurse
a social worker
a registered counsellor
All of these need to be registered to work in New Zealand.
You can also get a Letter of Support from a person aged 18 or over who has known you for 12 months or more.
You will be able to change the sex marker on your birth certificate to male (M), female (F) or non-binary (X).
You will need to fill out this form.
The form has a statutory declaration as part of it. This means you need to sign in front of a authorised person and affirm that what you are stating is true. This can be a Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages, a Justice of the Peace, or a Registrar or a deputy registrar of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court or District Court, or a Solicitor or Barrister of the High Court. If you’d like to find your local Justice of the Peace, you can find them here.
You'll need to bring one photo ID and a copy of it so that you can get it certified by the notified person. This needs to be in your current legal name. You can bring one of:
Your passport (New Zealand or overseas)
Your driver’s licence (copy of front and back)
New Zealand or overseas school photo ID
Overseas Identity Card
You then need two copies of different documents that show your current legal name in the community. These do not need to be certified true copies.
This can be a:
Student or Tertiary Identification Card
Educational certificate or school report
Trade certificate
Community Services Card
Bank Statement (including savings, credit or cheque accounts)
Inland revenue tax number (provide and IR card or statement)
Bill (e.g. phone bill)
You will need to put your or your parents/guardians credit card or debit plus card details on the form -- the fee for the name change is $170.00, the fee for the sex marker is $55, the fee for a new birth certificate recording the name change and sex maker is $33, but postage will be a little more (usually $5).
You can then post your documents to:
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 10-526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
What if I am 15 or under and want to change my name AND gender marker on my birth certificate at the same time?
Because you are 15 or under, your parents/guardians will have to fill in the form for you. If you are 18, you will be able to do it completely by yourself and will not need anybody’s permission to do so.
They will need to fill out this form
They will be able to change the sex marker on your birth certificate to male (M), female (F) or non-binary (X).
Your parents must provide a Letter of Support. This can be from:
a doctor
a psychologist
a psychotherapist
a nurse
a social worker
a registered counsellor
All of these need to be registered to work in New Zealand.
They can also get a Letter of Support from a person aged 18 or over who has known you for 12 months or more.
All your parents/guardians must provide a certified true copy of a current photo identification. This means that they will need to take the original to a notified person. This can be a Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages, a Justice of the Peace, or a Registrar or a deputy registrar of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court or District Court, or a Solicitor or Barrister of the High Court. If you’d like to find your local Justice of the Peace, you can find them here.
The photo ID can be one of:
New Zealand or overseas passport (photo page only)
New Zealand or international driver licence (copy of front and back)
New Zealand or overseas firearms or dealer’s licence
New Zealand or overseas defence force or police service photo identity card
Overseas identity card
18+ card or Kiwi Access Card (issued by Hopitality New Zealand) or overseas proof of age card
New Zealand Emergency Travel Document
New Zealand Certificate of Identity (issued under the Passports Act 1992)
New Zealand Certificate of Identity (issued under the Immigration Act 2009)
New Zealand Refugee Travel Document
All your parents/guardians must sign a statutory declaration on the form. This means that they will sign the form before the notified person and will affirm that what they are saying is correct.
You will need to put your or your parents/guardians credit card or debit plus card details on the form -- the fee for the name change is $170.00, the fee for the sex marker is $55, the fee for a new birth certificate recording the name change and sex maker is $33, but postage will be a little more (usually $5).
You can then post your documents to:
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 10-526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
Where will I need to change my name?
We have compiled a list of the main places where we think you might need to change your name. This list isn’t comprehensive, but we think it covers the main one.
Documents:
Passport
Drivers Licence
Kiwi Access card
Marriage/Civil Union certificate
Child/ren's birth certificates
Vehicle
AA (Automobile Association)
Vehicle registration
Finances
Banks/Credit Unions
Accountant
Any organizations like Afterpay, Humm
Credit agencies (including places that do credit checks)
Kiwisaver Provider
Investment Platforms (such as Hatch)
Any online payment services (such as Paypal)
Healthcare/Cosmetic
ACC
GP (you can ask them to change your NHI details, but some tertiary providers [such as X-Ray providers] will not automatically change)
Dentist
Optometrist
Therapist/counsellor
Breast Screen NZ
Other health providers (chiropractor, naturopath etc.)
NZ Blood Registry (if you are a donor)
Gym
Any beauty providers (hair salon, nail salon etc)
Housing
Landlord (if you rent)
Local Council (if you own your own property)
Deeds Office (if you own your own property)
Communications
Any email using old name
Voicemail
Any personal websites
Social media handles
Groups you are subscribed to)email listings etc.)
Online groups you are a member of apart from social media (forums etc)
Employment
Employer
Any clients if you freelance
NZ Companies Office if you own a company
Professional bodies/organizations
Bills
Electricity provider
Gas provider
Internet provider
Water provider
Paid TV provider (Sky etc.)
Online subscription (Netflix, Audible, Amazon etc.)
Magazine subscription
Mobile Phone provider
Home Phone provider
Volunteering
Volunteer organizations
Leisure
Clubs (especially if you are an executive member)
Government
Electoral Roll
WINZ
IRD
RealMe
Pets
Vet your pet is registered with
Pet Registrations list (Microchip etc)
Council if your pet needs regular registration
Legal
Lawyer/Community Law
Legal Paperwork to do with partner/family (emergency contacts, next of kin, trusts etc)
Any will you are a executor for
Any other legal documentation (eg. acknowledgement of debt)
Insurance
Insurance provider
Community
Library (including library card)
Retail
Retailers (loyalty programs, membership cards) etc.
Video store (there are still a few!)
Auction sites such as trademe or ebay
Online-only stores like Amazon
Education
Your education provider
Your child/ren's education provider
Any official transcripts already achieved
Any educational certificates already achieved (degree, diploma, certificates etc)
Alumni organisations
NZQA
Travel
Airlines (Koru club members)
Any transport cards (such as Snapper)
Post
Post Office if you have a P.O. BOX or freight service
Passports
From late November 2012 you can change your gender on your passport. You can apply to have M (male), F (female) or X (indeterminate gender) shown on your passport.
What if I am 16 or older and want to change my name and sex marker on my Passport?
One thing that is really important to note is that if you just want to change your name, you can apply for a new passport online through RealMe. If you want to change both your name and gender marker, you’ll need to use a paper form. Note: You’ll need to have legally changed your name already before you can get a passport in it.
You can apply online here
If you can find the paper form here
Note: You just need to tick your new gender identity -- you can tick either male (M), female (F) or non-binary/indeterminate gender (X).
You will need to have two identical passport photos of yourself (you can get these from your local pharmacy)
You will need to include your credit/debit card information in the form. The fee for a new passport is $206. You don’t need to pay anything for courier as that is included in the fee.
You can post your form and passport photos to:
New Zealand Passport Office
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 1568
Wellington 6140
What if I am 15 or younger and want to change my name and gender marker on my Passport?
Because you are currently under 16, then all your legal parents/guardians will need to give consent for you to get a passport and change your gender marker as they will need to fill out the form. Once you are 16 you will be able to do this yourself and you will not require a letter from a medical professional. You will need to have changed your name legally already.
For now though, your parents/guardians will need to fill out this form to renew your passport.
They will also need to provide a letter from a registered counsellor or medical professional which supports this change. This must be on the practitioner's official letterhead.
They can either tick M (male), F (female), or X (nonbinary/indeterminate gender).
If you have already legally changed your name you only need to fill out the form with your new name -- no extra documentation is required.
They will need to include two identical passport photos (which can be obtained from any pharmacy), and put in their credit/debit card details. The cost is $206 but there is no extra fee for delivery.
You can post your form and passport photos to:
New Zealand Passport Office
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 1568
Wellington 6140