Changing your name after marriage in Romania: what to update and in what order

If one of you takes a new surname when you marry in Romania, the first document to replace is the Romanian ID card, within 15 days. Then comes the passport (the old one can no longer be used), the car registration certificate within 30 days, the driving licence and, usually without a trip to any office, your employer, bank and contracts. If you both keep your names, nothing changes.

This guide is for couples where at least one partner is Romanian: Romanians marrying at home or abroad, their foreign partners, and anyone helping them with the paperwork. Everything was checked on 24 October 2026 against Romanian law on legislatie.just.ro and the official pages of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the health insurance house (CNAS) and the trade register (ONRC). Fees changed twice in the past year (August 2025 and September 2026) and many websites still show the old amounts, so every figure links to its source. Amounts are in lei with a rough euro equivalent at about 5 lei to the euro. For the paperwork before the ceremony, see our guide to civil marriage in Romania.

Who has anything to change

You choose your married name in the marriage declaration at the city hall. Article 282 of the Civil Code allows four options: each keeps their own name, both take one partner's name, both take the joined names, or one keeps their name while the other takes the joined names. The new name is recorded in the marriage record and applies from the wedding day.

• You both keep your names: no document changes.
• One of you takes the other's name or the joined names: only that person follows the steps below.
• You both take the joined names: you both follow them.

The Romanian personal numeric code (CNP) never changes. Tax, pension and health records are keyed to it, so several updates happen without you filing anything.

The list at a glance

With an ID card, passport, licence and car, budget about 550 lei (roughly €110) in total.

The order that works

Almost everything depends on the ID card: the passport office, the driving licence office, the car registration office and your bank all want ID in the new name.

1. 1On the wedding day: you normally receive the marriage certificate on the spot. Make a few copies.
2. 2Within 15 days: apply for the new ID card.
3. 3As soon as you have it: passport (if you are travelling outside the EU), then car registration and driving licence. The car registration deadline is 30 days from the wedding.
4. 4The same week, from home: employer, bank, insurers, phone and utilities.
5. 5Whenever you have time: health card, land registry, online accounts.

The ID card comes first

The law requires a new ID card within 15 days of a name change (Article 19 of Emergency Ordinance 97/2005). You keep the old card until the new one is issued. Missing the deadline carries a fine of 500-1,000 lei; older websites still quote 40-80 lei.

• Electronic (CEI) or simple (CIS): the electronic card costs 70 lei, can be requested at any ID office in Romania and is an EU travel document. The simple card costs 40 lei, is issued only by the office where you are domiciled and is not valid for travel (official FAQ).
• What to bring: current ID card, original birth and marriage certificates, proof of address and the payment receipt (Ministry list).
• How long: electronic card 5 days on average, 30 at most; simple card 30 days on average, 45 at most.

Step by step, with booking and payment, in our guide to the Romanian ID card after marriage.

Passport and honeymoon

Once the name has changed, the old passport may not be used, even if it has not expired (Article 20 of Law 248/2005). The Border Police gives the same answer. Using it carries a fine of 300-500 lei. There is no deadline to get a new one: you only need it if you travel on a passport.

• Cost: 265 lei since 1 August 2025, paid at CEC Bank, a SelfPay machine or online on Ghișeul.ro (official fees). The full fee applies again.
• What to bring: the new ID card, the old passport and proof of payment.
• Where and how long: any passport office in Romania, booked on hub.mai.gov.ro/epasapoarte; 2-3 working days on average, 5 at most (Ministry).

Inside the EU the ID card is enough, if it is the electronic card or your old card while still valid (the simple card is not a travel document). If you leave in the first days after the wedding, carry the marriage certificate too and book tickets in the name on the card you hold. Many Romanian couples hold the civil ceremony a few weeks before the wedding party, partly so the documents are ready in time.

The car: registration, insurance and licence

The registration certificate has a clear deadline: changes to the owner's details must be recorded within 30 days (Article 11 of Emergency Ordinance 195/2002). A new certificate costs 76 lei since 15 September 2026. Bring the application, the old certificate, the new ID card, a copy of a valid third-party insurance (RCA) policy in the owner's name and proof of payment to the county registration office (official list). The plate number stays the same. Missing the deadline is a class III offence, 6-8 fine points, roughly 1,300-1,730 lei at the July 2026 fine-point value.

Insurance: the law does not explicitly require you to notify the insurer, but the registration office needs an RCA policy in the owner's name, so ask your insurer to update it first.

Driving licence: we found no legal deadline or fine for updating it after marriage, although many articles say it is mandatory. Ministry Order 82/2024 provides a duplicate "when the holder's name changes", with the same validity. We still recommend it: a licence in a different name from your ID complicates traffic checks and car hire abroad. It costs 139 lei since 15 September 2026, needs no medical, and can be requested at any licence office or online (official fees).

Employer, tax and pensions

• Employer: give HR a copy of the new ID card and the marriage certificate. They must update the national employee register (REGES-ONLINE, which replaced Revisal) within 3 working days (Government Decision 295/2025).
• Tax (ANAF): an individual's tax number is the CNP, and the tax register is updated from the population register (Fiscal Procedure Code). Employees file nothing. If you registered for tax yourself (self-employed, rental income), report the change within 15 days.
• Private pensions: records follow the CNP. There is no legal duty to notify the fund, but it keeps your statements in the right name.

Bank, utilities and the rest

Banks must keep client data up to date (Law 129/2019), so sooner or later yours will ask for the new ID. It is usually free, in the branch or the app, and cards are reissued in the new name. Utilities and phone contracts have no legal rule, but updating them avoids trouble with complaints or a move. Airlines and payment apps that check real identity come next.

• Health insurance card: not mandatory to replace. A duplicate in the new name costs 20.36 lei and can be requested by email (CNAS).
• Property (land registry): we found no obligation or deadline. When you sell, the notary links the old and new names through your birth and marriage certificates. Ask the local cadastre office (OCPI) if you want the name updated.
• Sole trader or company: register the change with the trade register within 15 days, with no ONRC fee (Law 265/2022). Filings can be made online, by email or by post.

Married abroad, or a foreign spouse

A Romanian citizen who marries abroad must have the marriage transcribed into the Romanian registers within 6 months (Article 41 of Law 119/1996). Only then do you get a Romanian marriage certificate and can change the ID card. See our guide to registering a foreign marriage in Romania.

If your spouse is not Romanian, the name change on Romanian documents affects only the Romanian partner. The foreign partner updates their own documents under the rules of their country, and applies separately to the General Inspectorate for Immigration for the right to live in Romania. For use of a Romanian marriage certificate in another EU country, ask the city hall for the EU multilingual standard form, which usually removes the need for a translation; civil status documents need no apostille between EU states since February 2019 (European e-Justice Portal).

Next step

Add these steps to your planning checklist with the wedding date, so the 15 and 30 day deadlines sit next to everything else after the big day.

Still before the ceremony? Start with civil marriage in Romania and the wedding planning checklist.