Civil Registry and Identity Cases
Change of name or surname, correction of age, correction of civil registry errors.
Information in civil registry records can, as a rule, only be changed by a court decision. Correction cases are filed before the civil court of first instance against the civil registry directorate under Article 36 of Civil Registry Services Law No. 5490.
Main topics
- Change of first name for just cause (Turkish Civil Code No. 4721, Art. 27)
- Change and correction of surname
- Correction of date of birth (age)
- Correction of spelling and data errors in registry records
- Registration of foreign court judgments in the civil registry
In a name change case, the court assesses whether the reason given is justified; for example, being known by another name or the name carrying a negative meaning may be accepted as just cause.
In age correction cases, witness statements and school and health records matter; a medical age assessment may be ordered.