Everyone calls you by a first name other than the one on your birth certificate? Your first name is causing you harm? You can ask to change it, add one, remove one or change their order (article 60 of the Civil Code).
The condition: a legitimate interest
The application must be justified. The consulate gives two examples:
- your first name, or its combination with your surname, is causing you harm;
- you are known by another first name to your family, your colleagues or the authorities.
The evidence is built with documents from throughout your life: school certificates, diplomas, employment contracts, statements, old identity papers. If the registrar considers the interest insufficient, he refers the matter to the public prosecutor; if the prosecutor objects, you can apply to the family court judge.
What has changed since 29 July 2026
Law no. 2026-667 of 27 July 2026 created article 60-1 of the Civil Code:
- for an adult or a minor over 13, attach bulletin no. 3 of the criminal record and a document on registration in the judicial files (FIJAIT and FIJAIS);
- if you have a foreign birth certificate, prove that the requested first name appears on it identically, unless authorised by the public prosecutor.
For Franco-Senegalese dual nationals, this last point is decisive: the change must often be obtained in Senegal first.
Submitting the file
If you live in Senegal, The Gambia, Cape Verde or Guinea-Bissau, submit the complete file at the consulate, in a sealed envelope, without an appointment, Monday to Thursday from 2 pm to 3.30 pm. For a child over 13, his or her written consent is required.
How we help
Legal Field Avocats builds your evidence file, coordinates the procedures between the Senegalese and French civil status services, and assists you if the prosecutor objects.
A first name to change? Call us on +221 33 844 29 16.
Sources: French Consulate General in Dakar – Change of first name (in French); French Civil Code, articles 60 and 60-1.
See also: French civil status in West Africa, country by country · French visa refusal lawyer
LEGAL FIELD AVOCATS
14 rue Woro Fila, Fann Hock, Dakar, Senegal
Phone: +221 33 844 29 16
Email: contact@fbavocat-sn.com
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