Use of patronymic as a surname may be allowed

On January 13, deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan adopted at first reading a draft law aimed at further improving the system of public service delivery, including the introduction of a practice allowing a child to be given a surname based on the father’s name.

The draft law was developed by the Ministry of Justice and предусматривает expanding the public service delivery system, preventing conflicts of interest in state bodies and organizations, and introducing the previously unavailable legal option of assigning a child the father’s name as a surname.

According to an amendment being introduced to Article 69 of the Family Code, it will now be permitted to use the father’s name as a surname. Deputy Minister of Justice Numan Muhammadiev commented on the proposed change.

“Under current legislation, a child’s surname is determined based on the parents’ surname. In line with national traditions, surnames are currently derived from the grandfather’s name. The absence of a legal option to use the father’s name as a child’s surname has led to differing interpretations of the law and complaints from citizens. For example, fathers who grew up in orphanages or parents who have been deprived of parental rights do not wish their children to carry their father’s name as a surname,” Muhammadiev said.

According to the deputy minister, cases are recorded almost daily in which 10 to 15 fathers, when applying for birth certificates, request changes to the surname field and ask for their own name to be used as the child’s surname.

Muhammadiev also added that the practice of deriving surnames from the father’s or grandfather’s name exists in other countries as well, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.