The Ministry of the Interior wants people to be able to change their name online. There is no need to visit an official or submit a digitally signed application. The system makes decisions on its own, without an official. It checks data from the population register and the criminal records database. If the application is correct, the name is changed automatically.
The Association of Cities and Municipalities believes that speed is not the most important thing. People may not always know why they want to change their name. They may do it on an emotional whim. After submitting the application, it may turn out that loved ones do not support the name change. Or the person may change their mind. Between 2022 and 2024, 2,445 name change applications were submitted.
An automated system can create problems. People often give their PIN codes to others. If the name changes automatically, the person may not even know that their name has been changed. The city government supports submitting applications online but does not want automatic changes.
Minors and adults with limited legal capacity cannot change their name online. They must go to a vital statistics office. Currently, parents and the child do not have to be present to change a child's name. According to the new draft, however, they must be present. The city government does not agree with this, as it makes the process more complicated.
Most name change requests concern children. For example, Ukrainians have given their children names in Latin letters that are not what they intended in Ukrainian. In May, 32 applications were submitted to the Tallinn Vital Statistics Department, 17 of which were requests to change children's names.