Flying with Lufthansa means enjoying German precision, Star Alliance reliability, and premium service across the globe. Yet even the most careful traveler can make a small mistake when entering a name , and in Europe, where passport control, eVisa systems, and security checks are uncompromising, a single wrong letter can lead to boarding denial or immigration issues.
The excellent news is that Lufthansa operates one of the most generous, transparent, and genuinely passenger-friendly name correction policies in the entire aviation industry. Whether it’s a minor typo, reversed name order, missing umlaut, forgotten middle name, or a full legal name change after marriage, divorce, or gender transition, Lufthansa allows almost every reasonable correction , usually free of charge for minor fixes and at very low or zero cost for documented legal changes.
In this detailed 2026 guide, we walk you through the complete Lufthansa name change policy, permitted correction types, exact fees (or lack thereof), required documents, step-by-step processes, and important restrictions so you can fix any name issue quickly, confidently, and almost always without extra cost.
Lufthansa permits both minor name corrections and full legal name changes provided the change concerns the same passenger. The airline fully complies with IATA, EU Regulation 261/2004, and German Federal Aviation Office (LBA) rules, meaning ticket transfers to another person are never permitted under any circumstances.
The following corrections are generally accepted:
Lufthansa is one of the very few legacy carriers that actively supports legal name changes with documentation instead of forcing cancellation and expensive rebooking.
Lufthansa distinguishes between minor corrections (almost always free and instant) and formal legal name changes (require documents but still very affordable).
|
Type of Correction |
Examples |
Documentation Needed? |
Typical Processing Time |
|
Minor Spelling & Typo Fixes |
“Kathrin” → “Katrin”, “Müller” → “Mueller”, “Sánchez” → “Sanchez” |
No |
Instant – 24 hours |
|
Name Order Reversal |
“Schmidt Peter” → “Peter Schmidt” |
No |
Instant – 24 hours |
|
Adding/Removing Middle Names |
Adding “Sophie Marie” or correcting “J.” → “Johann” |
No (recommended for long-haul) |
Instant – 24 hours |
|
Accents & Special Characters |
“José” → “René”, “Łukasz” → “Lukasz” |
No |
Instant |
|
Titles & Nobility Particles |
Adding “Dr”, “Prof”, “von”, “van den” |
Sometimes (ID copy) |
24 hours |
|
Legal Name Changes |
Marriage, divorce, deed poll, gender transition |
Yes |
24–72 hours |
For Miles & More members, it is highly recommended to first update the name in your Miles & More profile to keep all future bookings consistent.
Despite the generous policy, certain changes are strictly prohibited:
Lufthansa offers multiple convenient channels:
Most simple name corrections can be made directly on lufthansa.com or in the Lufthansa app:
Note: This option is available only for tickets issued by Lufthansa (booking references starting with 220).
Ideal for legal name changes or when the online tool is not offered.
If you booked via Expedia, Booking.com, or any OTA, the change must be requested through the original issuer.
|
Name Change Type |
Typical Fee (EUR / USD) |
Remarks |
|
Minor spelling corrections |
Free |
Always free, even on Economy Light |
|
Adding middle name / reversal |
Free |
Instant online |
|
Accents & special characters |
Free |
Instant |
|
Titles & nobility particles |
Free – €50 |
Usually free |
|
Legal name changes |
€0 – €150 |
Free on Business/First, Flex; free for HON Circle & Senators |
|
Award tickets |
€0 – €100 |
Free for status members |
All corrections within 24 hours of booking are completely free.
Legal name changes are often free of charge for Miles & More Senators and HON Circle members.
Request the change as soon as you notice the error. Benefits of acting early:
Lufthansa recommends completing corrections at least 72 hours before departure on international flights.
Facing difficulties with the Lufthansa name correction process? Our expert team at CheapFlyFinder can:
No. Lufthansa strictly prohibits transferring tickets to another traveler.
Almost always completely free, even on the cheapest fares.
No documents needed for minor corrections.
No, you must contact the original agency. But CheapFlyFinder can help.
Yes, adding or correcting middle names is allowed and almost always free of charge.
Name change policies can be updated by Lufthansa at any time. Information is current as of December 2026 and provided for general guidance only. Always confirm directly with Lufthansa. CheapFlyFinder is not affiliated with Lufthansa or Lufthansa Group.
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