If you’re planning a trip abroad, you will be full of the excitement of booking hotels, flights, restaurants and tours. It’s important, however, to ensure you don’t forget the little things that are so crucial to your trip. For example, you may not know this, but the law states that the name you use when you book a trip must match the one you have in your passport. This means that, if you need to change the name on your passport for any reason, you will be required to apply for a new British passport, complete with a new UK passport photo (45 x 35 mm). This process varies slightly, depending on your own circumstances, whether you are changing your marital status, reverting to an old name or changing gender. Read on to find out more about how this process works, in a number of different situations.
Change your name on your passport – UK guide
In order to change your name on your UK passport, you will be obliged to complete a full renewal, which will grant you a new 10 (ten) year passport with your new name in it. In accordance with the Passport Office guidelines, you must make sure to allow 10 (ten) weeks for your new passport to arrive, as the processing times can vary significantly. However, while this part applies in every circumstance, the process changes in other areas, depending on why you’re planning on changing your name. We’ve compiled a list of the most common reasons for changing your name, so you can prepare for your journey with confidence.
Marriage or civil partnership
Getting married or entering a civil partnership? Congratulations! If you are planning on changing your name, you have two options. You can change your name before or after your ceremony. If you wish to apply for a new passport after the ceremony, you will only need to send a copy of either your marriage certificate or your civil partnership certificate to the Passport Office, making sure that the supporting documents you send bear your new name.
If you wish to apply for your new passport before your wedding ceremony, you will need to send a completed “passports for newlyweds and civil partners” form to the Passport Office up to 3 (three) months in advance of your wedding or civil partnership ceremony. This form must be signed by a minister/registrar who is going to be conducting your ceremony.
An important detail to remember is that, if you choose the latter option, your current passport will be cancelled, and your new passport will be post-dated, which means that it will not be valid until the ceremony takes place. If you’re planning on travelling abroad, for example for a honeymoon, soon after your wedding, you need to bear this in mind, because many countries will not offer visas for passports that are post-dated. Our advice would be to check with a consulate or embassy in the country you wish to visit, to ensure that they will be willing to issue a visa to a post-dated passport. If they are not, you may be better off changing your passport after your ceremony, when you return from your trip.
If you change your marital status, but do not plan on changing your name, you will not require a new passport.
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Divorcing or reverting to a previous surname
If you are undergoing a divorce, or are returning to a previous surname, there are several documents that you need to send to verify your application to do so. You will be required to submit all of the following:
- Your birth certificate.
- A document that shows your new name, for example, a letter from the local council, a deed poll, a payslip.
- A final order or decree absolute, that displays both your old and new names.
- Where applicable, a marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate that shows both names. If you do not currently have a copy, you can easily order a copy from the General Register Office.
- A signed statement from you, that states that you have reverted to your previous surname (for example, your maiden name).
Gender change
When you are applying for a new passport under a new name, if you’ve recently changed gender, you will need to send one document from this list:
- A Gender Recognition Certificate (check the UK Government for more information on how to get one)
- A letter from your doctor, GP or another medical consultant, that confirms that your gender transition is likely to be a permanent one.
- A new birth or adoption certificate that displays your acquired gender.
If you select a letter from your medical practitioner, you will also need to supply the following:
- Evidence that verifies your name change, like a deed poll.
- Evidence that your new name has been in use, for example in an official letter or payslip.
Minor changes to forenames
When you wish to change your first name on your passport, you can either: change the spelling of your name, for example from “Steven” to “Stephen”, change the order that your first names come in or remove one or more of your middle names.
When you wish to change your forename on your passport, you need to send two documents that demonstrate that your new name is in use. These can include, but will not be limited to:
- Driving licence
- Payslip
- Bank statement
- Letter from a local council/government
- Marriage certificate
- Civil partnership certificate
- Baptism certificate
- Confirmation certificate
Changing titles
You are allowed to display professional titles (for example, doctor, judge, professor, QC, JP or minister of religion) or honours/military decorations (for example OBE, Col.) on your passport. These, of course, can change, so, although it’s not essential (unlike the other items on this list), you may wish to know how to change them. All you have to do in these cases is put your new title into the “other title” box on the passport application form, and provide some evidence of your title. Unless your title is a title of nobility, it will not be written into your passport as part of your name, and will instead be written into the “Observations” page.
Other name changes
There are any number of reasons you might wish to change your name on your passport, so we recommend you research your individual situation thoroughly. In most cases, however, we advise you to include the following in your application:
- Evidence that you have been using your new name.
- Proof of any previous name changes you have made.
One of:
- statutory declaration
- affidavit
- deed poll
Including these elements in your application should cover most situations, but it would be wise to check the government website to see if there is any more specific guidance.
Changing your passport photo with Passport Photo Online
No matter how you want to change your name on your passport, you will still need to carry out a full renewal, which requires a new passport photo. We recommend you use Passport Photo Online for your new passport photo – in just a few minutes, you can have a professional-quality photo in your inbox, ready to attach to your passport application, leaving you more time to spend with the ones you love. That’s not the only advantage to this system:
- You can save a lot of money. Specifically, you can save an average of 54% on your passport photo by using Passport Photo Online, now that’s a good deal!
- The system is flexible. Passport Photo Online is internet-based, and is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so it’s easy to fit around your lifestyle. Whether you’re currently at home, at work, even in a field, as long as you’ve got the internet, you can use Passport Photo Online.
- You can always be certain of getting a photo you like. Our service allows you to make as many attempts as you like to take your passport photo, free of charge. 10? 100? 1000? It doesn’t matter to us. You’ll only need to pay for the finished product, the one that goes in your application.
- Your photo is guaranteed to be accepted. We take a lot of pride in our work. If your application is rejected because of a passport photo we edited, we will refund you 200% of what you paid for your photo.
Summing up
There you have it! In most cases, changing your name on your passport boils down to proving that your new name is being used, or at the very least, will be in the near future. Our guide covers the most common reasons for wanting to change your name on your passport, but these are by no means the only reasons. If yours doesn’t feature, make sure to do your own research, in the first instance using the UK Government website, or calling the Passport Adviceline if that doesn’t answer your query. From there, simply prepare the documents and the application form. Don’t forget the passport photo, either. Passport Photo Online can help you with your passport photos 24/7, making it easy to fit around you. Once your renewal is complete, you can simply wait for your new passport to arrive and get ready for your next great adventure.
FAQs
Can you change your last name on your passport?
Can you change your name on your passport before getting married?
What is needed to change your name on your passport?
The material featured on the Passport Photo Online blog is intended to be used for general informational purposes only. Whilst we try to ensure that all the content is up-to-date, we cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness. In all cases, we recommend that you check the relevant government websites to find the most up-to-date information.
Sources
Having graduated with a History degree from the University of Birmingham, Sam has proven writing experience in biometric photography articles, marketing and events. Born in the UK, he has travelled extensively both nationally and internationally. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cycling and skateboarding.
