*** Transcriber's Note: Please set your voice synthesiser to read most punctuation. When you encounter the caret sign (^) at the end of a line, please enter the applicable information, if necessary. *** Department of Internal Affairs – Te Tari Taiwhenua BDM36 Application to register a name change – Aged under 2 He tono ki te rēhita i tētahi panoni ingoa Last updated 31 January 2025 You can use this form to register a name change for your child if their birth is registered in New Zealand and they are aged under 2. Before you apply Guidelines for your child’s new name You can change all or part of your child’s name. Your child’s new name has to consist of 1 surname and 1 or more other names. If you have religious, philosophical or cultural reasons for your child to have only one name, you need to include a letter of explanation with your application. Your child’s new name might not be accepted if it’s: • offensive • longer than 70 characters, including spaces • an official title or rank, or resembles one (for example, Justice, King, Prince, Princess, Royal) • spelled with numbers or symbols (for example, V8). Timeframe To view our current timeframes for a name change, go to: govt.nz/bdmtimeframes. If you have requested a certificate showing your child’s new name, allow extra time for postage. If this is your child’s second name change If the child’s name has been changed previously then you must give special reasons as to why it is appropriate to change their name again. If this is the case explain the special reasons on Section 5 of this form. Contact details Website: govt.nz/bdm/contactus Email: bdm.nz@dia.govt.nz Only use email for queries about the form. To return the form, follow the postage instructions at the end of this form. Do not email the completed form to us. True statements If you make, or cause to be made, any false statement or declaration you will be liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years. All legal guardians must sign All of your child’s guardians must sign this form. The child’s father and mother are usually joint guardians The father and the mother of a child are guardians jointly of the child unless the child’s mother is the sole guardian of the child. If the child is legally adopted, the adoptive parents are guardians of the child through the adoption. Father as guardian The mother and father are both guardians if they jointly registered the birth of the child on or after 1 July 2005 on SmartStart or by completing and signing the Notification of birth for registration form (BDM27). Appointment of 1 or more additional guardians An additional guardian is: • A testamentary guardian of the child appointed by the deceased parent under section 26(2) of the Care of Children Act 2004 or section 7(2) of the Guardianship Act 1968. • All Court appointed/approved guardians. A certified copy of the Court appointment as a guardian should be attached to this declaration. A guardian may act alone In the below circumstances a guardian may act alone. • The other guardian(s) is/are dead, unknown, missing (note that a guardian is not missing if others know of their whereabouts but they refuse to tell you), of unsound mind or unable to act because of a medical condition. • Family Court approval is obtained. Appropriate evidence must be attached to this declaration. Note that this is not a Parenting or Protection order. If the mother is the sole guardian When a child is conceived on or after 1 July 2005, the child’s mother is the sole guardian of the child if the mother was not: • married to, nor in a civil union with, the father of the child at any time during the period beginning with the conception of the child and ending with the birth of the child • living with the father of the child as a de facto partner at any time during that period. If the child is born as a result of an assisted reproduction procedure (such as donor insemination) to a mother acting alone, and the donor is not the mother’s partner (i.e. not in a marriage, civil union or de facto relationship), and the donor does not become the mother’s partner between conception and notification of the birth for registration, then the mother is the sole guardian. Other parent If the child was born as a result of an assisted human reproduction procedure (such as artificial insemination), and the mother was living in a marriage, civil union or de facto relationship with a person who had consented to her undergoing the procedure, and that person’s name is recorded on the child’s birth registration, then that person must also sign this declaration. Privacy statement The information provided on this form is collected under the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021 (the ‘BDMRR Act’). A person who makes, or causes to be made, a false declaration on this form will be liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment. The new information will be held on a public register, and may generally be accessed by any person on application (e.g. as a certificate or printout). The Department of Internal Affairs may also release it to certain government agencies and foreign registration authorities, as authorised by law. Corrections may be made as provided for in the BDMRR Act. The BDMRR Act governs access to registered information. Information about your rights to access and, where appropriate, correct the information is available on our website govt.nz/bdm or freephone 0800 22 52 52. Fees statement All fees are correct as at the form version date. All fees are in New Zealand dollars. BDM36 Application to register a name change – Aged under 2 He tono ki te rēhita i tētahi panoni ingoa Instructions: • You can complete this form by hand or on-screen. • You must still print off the application and sign where applicable by hand. Please read the ‘Before you apply’ section of this application form carefully before you start. If your application is not correct and complete, your application may be delayed or unsuccessful. 1. My child’s name 1a. Name at birth This is the name on your child’s birth certificate. All first and middle names ^ Surname ^ 1b. Name from previously registered name change (if applicable) This applies if your child’s current name is different from your child’s name at birth due to a registered name change. All first and middle names ^ Surname ^ 2. My child’s date of birth Date (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ 3. My child’s place of birth Town/city ^ Country ^ 4. The name I/we want to register on my/our child’s birth certificate is: (Refer to the ‘Guidelines for your child’s new name’.) All first and middle names ^ Surname ^ 5. If this is the second name change you have registered for your child, explain why you are applying for a second time ^ Are all guardians acting together to complete this declaration or is one guardian acting alone? I am acting alone as a guardian (Yes or no) ^ If you answered yes, fill in Section 6 below. We are all guardians acting together (Yes or no) ^ If you answered yes, go to Section 7. If your child has more than 2 guardians, print a copy of Sections 9 and 10 of this form for each additional guardian to fill in and sign. Submit all extra signature pages with this application. 6. Acting alone as a guardian There are 6 statements to choose from. Select the statement that applies: Statement 1: I, as the child’s mother, am the sole guardian because the child was conceived on or after 1 July 2005 and I was not married to, nor in a civil union with, the father of the child at anytime during the period beginning with the conception of the child and ending with the birth of the child; and I was not living with the father of the child as a de facto partner at any time during that period, and none of the exceptions below apply. Exceptions to statement 1: The mother and father jointly registered the birth on or after 1 July 2005 online using SmartStartor by completing and signing the Notification of birth for registration form (BDM27). • The father’s particulars were included in the child’s birth information on or after 1 July 2005 but no later than 24 January 2009. • A testamentary guardian of the child has been appointed by the deceased parent under section 26(2) of the Care of Children Act 2004 or section 7(2) of the Guardianship Act 1968. • The Court has appointed any other person(s) a guardian. (Yes or no) ^ Statement 2: I, as the child’s mother, am the sole guardian because the child was born as a result of an assisted reproduction procedure (such as donor insemination) to me acting alone, and the donor is not my partner (i.e. not in a marriage, civil union or de facto relationship), and the donor did not become my partner between conception and notification of the birth for registration. (Yes or no) ^ Statement 3: The Family Court has given consent for me to act alone. (Yes or no) ^ If you answered yes, attach a copy of the Family Court order (not a Parenting order, previously known as a Custody order). Statement 4: The guardian is unable to act because of a medical condition or they are of unsound mind. (Yes or no) ^ If you answered yes, provide evidence from a registered medical practitioner. Statement 5: The guardian(s) is/are dead. (Yes or no) ^ If they died in New Zealand, enter the deceased’s name, date of death and place of death. If they died overseas, include a certified true copy (or original) of the deceased’s death certificate. Deceased guardian’s full name ^ Date of death (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ Place of death (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ Second deceased guardian’s full name ^ Date of death (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ Place of death (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ Statement 6: The guardian(s) is/are missing. (Yes or no) ^ State the recent actions within the last 2 months that you have taken to contact the other guardian(s) and include the date you tried to contact them. This includes searching the electoral roles, the Internet, asking family and friends or former employers. You must also state that you and all the people that know the guardian (which you have contacted) have no way of contacting them below. I/we searched the electoral roles on this date: Date (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ I/we asked friends on this date: Date (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ I/we searched the Internet on this date: Date (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ I/we asked their employers on this date: Date (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ I/we asked family members on this date: Date (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ I/we and all people who known the guardian(s), who I/we have contacted, have no way of contacting the guardian(s). (Yes or no) ^ If you could not attempt to contact the guardian with one of the above methods, attach a letter of explanation. 7. Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Register (HART) Fill in this section if your child was born as a result of an assisted reproductive technology procedure using donated sperm, eggs or embryos through a fertility clinic. If the information has been provided to Births, Deaths and Marriages for inclusion on the HART Register, it will be updated to include your child’s new name. This means that up-to-date information will be provided to persons who are authorised to access your child’s information under the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2004. Donation made after 21 August 2004 If your child’s birth occured as a result of a donation made after 21 August 2004, information will be sent to a fertility clinic. We can send information about the name change to the fertility clinic. They can then update their records. I consent to my child’s new name being sent to the fertility clinic named below that holds the information: (Yes or no) ^ If you answered yes, provide fertility clinic name ^ 8. Guardian 1’s details Guardian 1’s full name ^ Relationship to child (e.g. mother, father, parent) ^ Contact phone number ^ Contact email address ^ Guardian 1’s residential address: Street number and name ^ Suburb ^ Town or city ^ Country ^ 9. Guardian 2’s details Guardian 2’s full name ^ Relationship to child (e.g. mother, father, parent) ^ Contact phone number ^ Contact email address ^ Guardian 2’s residential address: Street number and name ^ Suburb ^ Town or city ^ Country ^ I authorise any necessary additional enquiries including the disclosure of personal information about myself and the person whose name is being changed for the purpose of determining eligibility for this application. My authorisation includes any information held by the Department of Internal Affairs or another New Zealand government agency. 10. Signatures I/we solemnly and sincerely declare that the information in this application is true, accurate and complete. Guardian 1’s signature ^ Date signed (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ Guardian 2’s signature ^ Date signed (dd/mm/yyyy) ^ 11. Fees The application fee to register a name change for a child under 2 is $55. Birth certificate (additional fee) You can order a birth certificate if you need a certificate that shows your child’s new name. If you do not need a certificate to prove your child’s new name, this is optional. There are several types and packages of birth certificate that you can select from: Standard certificate. $33 each. The certificate will be sent folded with the delivery address printed on the back. (Enter quantity) ^ Forest style decorative certificate. $35 each. (Enter quantity) ^ Beach style decorative certificate. $35 each. (Enter quantity) ^ Two certificate package: beach style decorative and standard. $55 per package. (Enter quantity) ^ Two certificate package: forest style decorative and standard. $55 per package. (Enter quantity) ^ 12. Birth certificate delivery (if applicable) If you are ordering a certificate, select a delivery method: I want the certificate(s) sent by standard post which is $0. (Yes or no) ^ I want the certificate(s) couriered to a New Zealand address for $5. (Yes or no) ^ I want the certificate(s) couriered to an overseas address for $15 to $30. (Yes or no) ^ Australia, Asia, Pacific courier costs $15. USA courier costs $20. Europe (unless listed under ‘Rest of world’) courier costs $25. Rest of world (includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Georgia, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova) courier costs $30. Contact us if you are unsure whether we can deliver to your country. Delivery address: Delivery name ^ Street number and name ^ Suburb ^ Town or city ^ Country ^ Postcode ^ Complete the payment section. 13. Payment Do not post cash or card. Do not email credit card details. Charge my credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Prezzy Card): Card number ^ Card expiry date (mm/yy) ^ Name on card ^ Cardholder signature ^ Next steps Print and sign the form. Post the form, appropriate fee(s), and documents to us. New Zealand office: Name Change Team Births, Deaths and Marriages Department of Internal Affairs PO Box 10-526 Wellington 6140 New Zealand Sydney office: Births, Deaths and Marriages Department of Internal Affairs GPO Box 365 Sydney New South Wales 2001 Australia London office: Births, Deaths and Marriages Department of Internal Affairs 1 Pall Mall East London SW1Y 5AU United Kingdom