The name
on your passport should always match
your legal name. Therefore, if your
name changes you need to get your
passport amended to incorporate your
new name. This is necessary whether
you change your name by deed poll or
when you get married, separated,
divorced, or following a civil
partnership.
When you apply to change your name
on your passport, your current one
will be cancelled and you will be
issued with a new standard 10 year
passport. Your new passport will be
credited with up to nine months of
extra time towards the unexpired
time left on you previous passport.
When
applying for your new passport
following your change of name by
Deed Poll, your Deed Poll document
will be accepted as documentary
evidence of your change of name. A
photocopy of your Deed Poll will not
be sufficient – it is essential to
enclose your original Deed Poll
document or a Certified Copy.
If you decide to change the name on
your child’s passport it is
obligatory that you gain consent
from all those with parental
responsibility before doing so.
The Passport Office will require a
written letter of consent signed by
all those holding parental
responsibility before issuing a new
passport. For template letters to
send to the Passport Office see our
page Example
Letters of Consent.
For more
information relating to changing
children's names see the pages:-
If you currently have your child
included on your passport he/she
cannot be included on your new
passport. In the past babies and
children could be included on a
parent or guardian’s passport. The
law has now changed and babies and
children up to 16 who are not
already on a parent’s or guardian's
passport must have their own child
passport if they are going to travel
abroad. Therefore you
will need to apply for a child
passport on his/her behalf.
If you are applying for your first
passport, when sending of your
passport application you will need
to enclose a copy of your Deed Poll.
This will provide documentary
evidence to show that you have
changed the name on your birth
certificate to your current one.
You may be in such a position that
your name was changed as a child but
you have no documentary evidence of
this change. What is important is
that when you fill in your
application form for your Deed Poll,
you notify us of your birth
name
in the relevant box. This will
ensure that the correct name change
will be shown on your Deed Poll and
therefore, that it will be accepted
by the Passport Office.
If a
woman decides to take her husband's
surname, the marriage certificate
provides the necessary documentary
evidence to the Passport Office that
she has changed her name. It is only
if a woman wishes to be known by
another name, for example, a
hyphenated (double barrelled) name,
for example, one that incorporates
both hers and her husbands surname,
that she should execute a change of
name by Deed Poll. This will ensure
that there are no problems or delays
in changing all her documents and
records into her new name.
There
is so much to think about when you
get married that amending your
passport can easily be forgotten.
However, some countries may refuse
you entry with an unamended
passport, even if you carry your
marriage certificate with you. You
can check this with your travel
agent or at the country’s consulate,
but it is usually best to change
your passport in advance.
The Passport Office can arrange this
for you any time up to three months
before the ceremony, although you’ll
be unable to use your passport until
the actual day of your marriage.
The 'Civil Partnership Act' came
into force on 5 December 2005. The
Act allows for adults of the same
sex to enter into a legally binding
civil partnership. Couples who form
a civil partnership will have a new
legal status, that of 'civil
partner'. The Identity & Passport
Service (IPS) will accept civil
partnership certificates as
documentary evidence of a change of
name.
Under British nationality law, the
Civil Partnership Act 2004
does not confer automatic
nationality status to either of the
partners.
Only those who have the status of
British citizen, British overseas
territories citizen, British
national (overseas), British
overseas citizen, British subject or
British protected person are
eligible for a British passport.
The Passport Office requires proof
of your name change in the form of
your civil partnership certificate.
There is so much to think about when
you get enter a civil partnership
that amending your passport can
easily be forgotten. However, some
countries may refuse you entry with
an unamended passport, even if you
carry your civil partnership
certificate. You can check this with
your travel agent or at the
country’s consulate, but it is
usually best to change your passport
in advance.
The Passport Office can arrange this
for you any time up to three months
before the ceremony, although you’ll
be unable to use your passport until
the actual day of your civil
partnership.
You may decide to revert to your
name before marriage/civil
partnership following a divorce/
dissolution of your civil
partnership. If this is the case,
then when you apply for a passport
in your former name you will need to
enclose a copy of your decree
absolute certificate/civil
partnership dissolution certificate.
Although the Passport Office will
issue a passport in your former name
after seeing these certificates,
many companies and organisations
will require a Deed Poll before
amending any of their records.
When you apply to amend your
passport your current passport is
cancelled and you are issued with a
new one. This can mean that visas in
your current passport become
invalid. Please check with the
issuing authorities whether an
unexpired visa in a cancelled
passport can still be used. If not,
you will have to reapply for the
visas in question.
Collect an application form from a high street partner of the
Passport Office - selected Post
Office branches and WorldChoice
travel agents.
Fill in the application form request
online and the Passport
Service
will send you a form in the
post.
Make an online
application.
This allows you to fill in the
form and send it online. You
will then be posted the
printout. You need to sign this
and return it with your
photographs and the necessary
documents.
Call the 24-hour Passport Adviceline on 0870 521 0410
How to complete it
The form comes with full
instructions, whether you fill in
the paper version or complete it
online. You should follow these
carefully as any errors will delay
your application.
Signing your Form
Only you need to sign your form to
apply for a new passport.
Applications for post-dated
passports for 16 or 17-year-olds
that are to be married or enter into
a civil partnership do not
need to be supported by the
written permission of a person with
parental responsibility.
Please note: Your form should be
signed at section 9 with your new
name, even if you are waiting to get
married.
