Pakosta refuses to approve name act amendment: marriage provides criminals with identity-swapping opportunity

Justice and Digital Minister Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) has refused to approve a draft amendment to the Personal Names Act. According to the minister, the draft creates an easy opportunity for criminals to change their identity – specifically, they could circumvent existing restrictive provisions through marriage.

Justice and Digital Minister Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) announced that she will not approve the draft amendment to the Personal Names Act. The ministry believes that the proposed change would open a convenient loophole for criminals to change their identity through marriage.

Under current law, individuals with criminal convictions face restrictions on name changes. However, according to the draft, these restrictions could be circumvented through marriage, which the minister argues would render the entire restriction meaningless.

Pakosta emphasized that such a legislative loophole is unacceptable, as it would harm public safety and undermine confidence in the identity verification system. In the ministry's assessment, the draft must be thoroughly revised before proceeding further to eliminate the risk of identity fraud.