Judgment of the District Court of The Hague dated February 18, 2020

The petitioner is of Serbian origin and bears the name Sacha. She encounters various hindrances due to this first name. Firstly, the name should actually be spelled as “Saša” in Serbian, as this is the common spelling of the name. However, in the Netherlands, the name Sacha is more prevalent, which led the petitioner’s parents to choose Sacha when registering her birth.

On her Serbian passport, the petitioner is listed with the first name “Saša.” Given the inconsistency between her Dutch passport and the Serbian one, she wishes for a uniform spelling in both countries. Therefore, she seeks to change her name from Sacha to Saša, aligning it with the Serbian pronunciation and spelling.

The petitioner was born in the Netherlands and possesses a Dutch birth certificate. Based on her explanation, the court deems itself sufficiently informed to make a decision. As such, the court grants the request, allowing the petitioner’s name to be officially changed to Saša.

(Note: The petitioner’s real first name has been fictionalized.)