Judgment of the District Court of The Hague dated June 21, 2021
The petitioner has been using the first name Marc since birth, but a different name was officially registered at the time of his birth by his father. Because his given name differs from his commonly used name, the petitioner often finds himself in difficult situations. For example, he has to explain to others that his preferred name is Marc. Currently, the petitioner resides abroad, but he has encountered issues related to his name in both the Netherlands and his country of origin. In his home country, they do not have the concept of a common name, which leads to misunderstandings and, at times, even insults and teasing.
The petitioner’s father made an error in the birth registration process by giving a different name, which is not the name that both the mother and the petitioner intended. Since birth, the petitioner has used the name Marc as his preferred name, and he now wishes to formalize it due to the difficulties he encounters with the divergent official name.
The petitioner has been living abroad with his parents for several years, but he intends to return to the Netherlands for further studies in the near future. He believes that officially recognizing the name Marc will be beneficial as he plans to start a new chapter in this regard.
The District Court of The Hague, taking into account the petitioner’s motivation, grants the request.
- The real first name is fictional.
