The Foundation organized the meeting to discuss changing the spelling of surnames.

It is widely known that the Lithuanian law – which regulates the issue of name/surname spelling in official documents, as well as any spelling changes – is very complicated. The petitioner’s claims are limited by a number of conditions that have to be fulfilled. This is why the procedures connected with changing the spelling of surnames may seem very difficult to many citizens. The Foundation states that the right to spell one’s surname in accordance with the spelling rules of one’s native language is the fundamental right of every citizen of a democratic country.

The Foundation organized a meeting in the Polish Culture Centre to discuss the issue and to give all the necessary information to those who want to change the spelling of their surnames.

Lots of people came to the Polish Culture Centre, which proves that such a meeting was truly necessary. Dr. Łukasz Wardyn began the discussion with a presentation about the actions taken by the Foundation in 2012, as well as its major successes and achievements. After his speech, the Foundation’s lawyer reviewed the law which regulates the possibility to change the spelling of names and surnames, presented the procedures in detail and discussed the conditions that the petitioner has to fulfill. The issue generated a lot of interest and many people asked lots of questions and offered their comments.

If you are interested in changing the spelling of your name/surname in accordance with the spelling rules of your native language and you want to get more information about this issue, you can visit our website: http://en.efhr.eu/change-your-name/.

EFHR

Translated by Katarzyna Kurowska within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.