A person can change his or her forename or surname in Zimbabwe in accordance with the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Chapter 5:02) in particular section 18 of the said Act. The procedure for change of forename and for change of surname are slightly different.
If one wants to change his/her forename they may approach the Registrar-General and make an application for the registration of the change of forename in the register of births. Where the applicant is a minor the responsible parent or legal guardian must make the application. The Registrar-General will usually require evidence in support of the change. This may be in the form of affidavits or other evidence. In some instances the Registrar-General may require some persons to appear before him in person. There is therefore no requirement for a notarial deed of change of name where one only wants to change their forename.
The change of surname is done through a notarial deed of change of name. The person who wants to change their surname goes to a notary public who draws up a notarial deed of change of name based on the instructions given. The person appears and signs the deed in the presence of the notary public who will put his notary seal. A notice for the change of name is published/advertised once in the Government Gazette and in a daily newspaper. After the lapse of 14 days from the date of publication of the notice and if there are no objections the notarial deed of change of name is lodged together with the proof of publication at the Deeds Registry. If no queries are raised, the notarial deed of change of name will then be registered. The person will then apply to the Registrar-General for change of surname and submit the deed of change of name and advertisements. If the Registrar-General is satisfied, the change of name is effected.
Section 18(4) of the Act gives discretion to the Registrar-General to register a change of surname without a notarial deed of change of name if satisfied that the change of name is for a lawful purpose and is not for purposes of fraud or misrepresentation. This discretion can be used for example where a person has his direct grandfather’s name as his surname instead of the family surname used by the other family members. Unfortunately the Registrar-General rarely uses this discretion and invariably demands that anyone who wants to change their surname do so through a notarial deed of change of surname.
The contents of this article are for general information purposes only and do not constitute our legal or professional advice. We accept no responsibility for any loss or damage of whatsoever nature which may arise from reliance on any of the information published herein.
Copyright © Marume & Furidzo Legal Practitioners 2019
I was raised in a family where my mother was remarried which is not my partenal family and I use their surname. I want to have my birth certificate and ID corrected.
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How Sir. My problem which I’m facing now is my year of birth can you change it to reduce it. And also change name and surname I want to use my own surname.
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Address: 4th Floor, North Wing
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Phone: Telephone: 263 242 700609
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Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Email: info@marumeandfuridzo.com
marfurlegal@gmail.com
my siblings and i were given my father’s step father’s surname is it possible to change
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Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
I want to change one of my forenames and my surname. Can i do both forename and surname change at once. And how do I achieve this.
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
My name is Vusumuzi Ngulube was born 13 June 1977 so I discovered that the surname am using is for my fathers stepfather I want to change it to use the original surname of my father which is Ndlovu and I want to add a name Victor please help
Kindly get in touch by visiting us or contacting us via Whatsapp for legal support
Address: 4th Floor, North Wing
Mercury House
24 G. Silundika Ave
Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Email: info@marumeandfuridzo.com
marfurlegal@gmail.com
I want to change my surname to my father’s first name, but I want to do it discretely. Would that be possible?
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
If also wanna change my surname from my maternal grandfather’s to a desired one ,would that be possible quick
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Hi. I am 49 yrs and using myour mother’s surname. If possible I would want to change it to my father’s. I never saw him. But my mother told me my surname.
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
I want to change my surname which is my mothers surname to my own surname
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
I want to use my Totem as a surname is that possible ?
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
I would like to change both my first and last name,will that be possible and what should I do?
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
I want to change my surname which is my step father’s surname to my mother’s or my biological father’s surname
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
i’m a minor i want to change my forename and change my surname to my mothers surname my father is deceased and my parents never got married
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
I want to change my surname and put my father’s surname because I came to know him after 16 years they got divorced with my mother.
Kindly get in touch by visiting us or contacting us via Whatsapp for legal support
Address: 4th Floor, North Wing
Mercury House
24 G. Silundika Ave
Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Email: info@marumeandfuridzo.com
marfurlegal@gmail.com
Hi i want to change my name is it possible i dislike my birth name
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Greetings, l want to change my surname so that my children inherit the new birth rite
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Hie I want to change my daughter’ s surname from my ex husband’s surname to the real father’s surname is it possible
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
I have got a serious problem pertaining the surname I am using right now.My father took an ID card using someone’s surname when he was young. It turned out that my father later got married to that guy’s young sister. My mother and father share the same surname. Now we are using our mother’s surname and l am afraid my real surname is going to vanish into thin air. I don’t have problem for me using my mother’s surname but my kids need to know their roots. Please if you can be of help let me know the costs.
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Hey I want to change my surname..I’m using my mother,’s surname..is it possible to change..I’m 26
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Hie i want change my identity name to use another name.
Thank you for enquiring. Kindly contact us using any of the following
Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Hi there guys please I want to change my name is it possible
Kindly get in touch by visiting us or contacting us via Whatsapp for legal support
Address: 4th Floor, North Wing
Mercury House
24 G. Silundika Ave
Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Email: info@marumeandfuridzo.com
marfurlegal@gmail.com
Hi I want to change the surname I’m using it i found out that is not my surname so I want to use my real surname
Kindly get in touch by visiting us or contacting us via Whatsapp for legal support
Address: 4th Floor, North Wing
Mercury House
24 G. Silundika Ave
Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Email: info@marumeandfuridzo.com
marfurlegal@gmail.com
I want to remove my daughter’s second and third names and just replace them with one name..
Kindly get in touch by visiting us or contacting us via Whatsapp for legal support
Address: 4th Floor, North Wing
Mercury House
24 G. Silundika Ave
Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Email: info@marumeandfuridzo.com
marfurlegal@gmail.com
I was raised in a family where my mother was remarried which is not my partenal family and I use their surname. I want to have my birth certificate and ID corrected.
Kindly get in touch by visiting us or contacting us via Whatsapp for legal support
Address: 4th Floor, North Wing
Mercury House
24 G. Silundika Ave
Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: Telephone: 263 242 700609
Mr. Marume: +263 772 834 327
Mr. Furidzo: +263 772 380 877
Email: info@marumeandfuridzo.com
marfurlegal@gmail.com