It is necessary to inform the institutions and companies you are associated with about the name change. Be sure to tell your employer, bank, family doctor, billers, and others about your new name. If necessary, the commercial register, land register and support payers, such as the agricultural registers and information board, must also be notified of the name change. Most public service providers, such as the social insurance board and the health insurance fund, receive data from the population register and do not need to be informed of a name change.

After you have received your identity document, you can apply to the transport administration for a driving licence, vehicle-related documents, and other documents containing your name (such as a small craft operator’s certificate, personal watercraft operator’s certificate, tachograph card, ADR training certificate, certificate of competence, locomotive driver’s licence, international driving permit, etc.) bearing your new name.

Identity documents with a new name, a divorce certificate and an extract from the population register can be used to prove the change of surname. The first certificate in Estonian is issued upon registration of the divorce. It is possible to request a duplicate or foreign language divorce certificate and an extract from the population register electronically from the e-population register or locally at the local government of the county center.

If you need to prove your name change and divorce to a foreign institution, ask that institution in which language or form they accept the proof. An inquiry ensures that the certificate presented is recognized in that country. Also ask if the document needs to be officially certified.

In addition to Estonian, certificates can also be obtained in English, German and French, on the CIEC form or together with a multilingual standard form. If the foreign country does not accept a certificate in English, German, French or CIEC form, multilingual standard form or Brussels II form, then you need an official translation of the certificate. To get an official translation, contact a sworn translator in Estonia.

In addition, it may be necessary to officially confirm the authenticity of the certificate. Official confirmation means adding an apostille to the certificate or legalizing the certificate. In Estonia, documents are certified with an apostille by notaries, for legalization contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can find more information about apostille on the website of the Chamber of Notaries and about legalization on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

If you submit a certificate to another member state of the European Union, it does not need to be apostilled or legalized.