Need help with old passport name issue

[Racye14]

Hello. I would be very grateful if someone can help me or have experienced my problem. I will be having my ceremony soon and will apply for British passport. The HO stated in the approval letter that I have to change my old passport surname into my husbands as that is the name I have and now using. The thing is that the passport I have and seen by HO is one issued after I got married and has my husband's surname in it. It is formatted: maiden first name + maiden surname + ep + hubby's surname. The "ep" stands for spouse of. Do you think I should be able to push straight for maiden first name + hubby surname or have to find close to £1000 to go back home and get passport changed? Thank you !

[noajthan]

Hello. I would be very grateful if someone can help me or have experienced my problem. I will be having my ceremony soon and will apply for British passport. The HO stated in the approval letter that I have to change my old passport surname into my husbands as that is the name I have and now using. The thing is that the passport I have and seen by HO is one issued after I got married and has my husband's surname in it. It is formatted: maiden first name + maiden surname + ep + hubby's surname. The "ep" stands for spouse of. Do you think I should be able to push straight for maiden first name + hubby surname or have to find close to £1000 to go back home and get passport changed? Thank you !

Some members (including me) have faced challenges in this area due to a recent policy change.

See this forum sticky to start with:
http://www.immigrationboards.com/britis ... 84012.html

Suggest contact HO in writing with specific questions.

If you have to change the passport can it not be done via embassy?

[Marii]

You will have to change your home passport first or insist Home Office to change name in you naturalisation certificat. It may be easier before your citizenship ceremony?

[noajthan]

You will have to change your home passport first or insist Home Office to change name in you naturalisation certificat. It may be easier before your citizenship ceremony?

The problem is HMPO policy is out of kilter with HO naturalisation policy.

So HO will happily naturalise in married name when given a passport in maiden name.
There was no mistake so nothing to correct.

The problem is HMPO seem to assume its always easy to change/update a foreign passport.

There is another way, see here:
http://www.immigrationboards.com/britis ... n#p1225431

[Racye14]

Thank you all for the replies.

Yes I could request a new passport from my embassy (in Paris) but they are demanding documents such as less than 6 months old copy of birth certificate and certificate of our citizenship. My parents are pretty old now but if this is the only way then we'll have no choice.

I will read further the links provided here and will make a decision after. Really it's not fair on us all. Like most of people in here I too want to hold on to my maiden name alongside the spouse one.

[Marii]

You will have to change your home passport first or insist Home Office to change name in you naturalisation certificat. It may be easier before your citizenship ceremony?

The problem is HMPO policy is out of kilter with HO naturalisation policy.

So HO will happily naturalise in married name when given a passport in maiden name.
There was no mistake so nothing to correct.

The problem is HMPO seem to assume its always easy to change/update a foreign passport.

There is another way, see here:
http://www.immigrationboards.com/britis ... n#p1225431

Yes, they do now work under general rules. I looked in naturalisation guide in section 1 "personal information" 1.7 :
The name that you give in sections 1.5 and 1.6 must be the same name that is on your current passport, travel document or Biometric Residence Permit. We will not normally issue a certificate of registration or naturalisation in the name that is different from a person’s official documents.
If you have married or entered a civil partnership and changed your name, and you wish to be registered in that name, you should change your name on your other passport, travel documents and national identity card, to reflect that name, before sending us your application. This is to avoid a person having official documents in more than one identity
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... _final.pdf
Guide dates July 2015, but new policy of Name Change introduced from 17 April 2015. Seems department who issues naturalisation certificats wasn't aware of these rules before. Therefore this is their mistake.

[noajthan]

Yes, they do now work under general rules. I looked in naturalisation guide in section 1 "personal information" 1.7 :
...

Guide dates July 2015, but new policy of Name Change introduced from 17 April 2015. Seems department who issues naturalisation certificats wasn't aware of these rules before. Therefore this is their mistake.

ok, good that some guidance has finally been updated then.
Hopefully NCS & (Post Office Check&Send clerks - for passports) have also all received appropriate training too.

When this first came up & caught my wife out, back in February/March, HO caseworkers first denied existence of any new policy, then (when they admitted there was a policy) they wouldn't disclose details as it was 'confidential'.

Someone on the forum then came across the policy announcement - and here we are today with people still trying to reconcile it with their dual country laws, local traditions & conventions for names.

[Marii]

Moreover, when I applied for naturalisation (and I remember same was your wife's application), this new rules didn't exist. Then when policy of name change introduced, Home Office just issued nat.certificate on different name than in our passports and left us to sort it ourselves.
They have corrected the mistake now. So if anybody applied for naturalisation after July 2015, I think it possible to insist to amended naturalisation certificate.
I would advise new applicants to read guide carefully.