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Original poster

Passport office won’t issue my passport,help pls

369 replies

Christmaspug · 17/02/2020 07:41

I’ve never really used my first name ,always used my middle name ,.on my wedding certificate the registrar put my middle name first as that’s what everyone calls me.
Passport office want proof of a name change from first name to middle name

Obviously I’ve not got that ,lots of people use their second name when they don’t like their first name,why would I change it officially as they are both my name.
I’m about to loose my £80 fee ,as this has been has been going backwards and forwards for some time ,
I’ve simply not got the proof they want ,
What on Earth can I do
I’m 46 always lived in uk and never had a passport before

OP posts:
Thedeadwood · 17/02/2020 09:13

The passport office are saying my marriage certificate is wrong ,not me saying that

Well it is! I’m honestly not sure what there is to be so confused about.
Either get your marriage certificate fixed and/or get a deed poll to properly legally change your name in a form that legal authorities will accept. It’s not really rocket science.

FlamingoAndJohn · 17/02/2020 09:13

It’s your wedding certificate that’s wrong.
It doesn’t matter if everyone has called you Jane and not Sarah since the day you were born. You legal name is Sarah Jane, not Jane Sarah.

I knew a woman who was always called by her nickname. Everyone always called her by her nickname. Parents, friends, teachers. As she got older her partner, boss, everyone. However it wasn’t her legal name. When she got married her name on her marriage certificate was her legal, given name.

villamariavintrapp · 17/02/2020 09:13

Is your marriage certificate valid if it's in the wrong name? I think you should get that fixed first?

billybagpuss · 17/02/2020 09:17

My cousin had an issue where her marriage certificate differed from her birth certificate as her DM had married, she took on the married name as a child, which back then required no official documentation, so when she married she married from her DM's married name rather than the birth name (if that makes sense)

She had to get a solicitor to countersign a 'Statutory Declaration' which stated that she had been using the married name for x number of years, prior to that she used her DM's surname. She then went to the passport office for an interview and all was sorted within a couple of weeks. If you draw up the Stat Dec the solicitors fee is minimal, if you want them to do it it hikes up the price big time.

I'd phone the passport office first though to talk through the options.

HappyGirl86 · 17/02/2020 09:17

When did you get married?
I'm a registrar and we would need to see your birth certificate or passport in order to take notice for marriage.
We would also check and double check the names on the marriage certificate on the day of the marriage and you would be required to sign the register if it was all correct.

You can apply for a correction but it's around £70-80 for general records office to consider it.

Bigearringsbigsmile · 17/02/2020 09:18

Or failing that, do what everyone here has said and get your marriage certificate corrected. Easiest, most simple solution.

GinasGirl · 17/02/2020 09:19

My dad and brother both go by their middle name and always have, however all their official documents like passports, etc. Have their full official birth name.
Your changing of surname as a child should be irrelevant as it was never legally changed I assume? your legal change for a surname was when you got married, however you put your unofficial first name down which is where the problem lies. I'd look at getting that amended first and foremost as the passport office won't take other documentation showing your name as you use it now if it wasn't an official legal change.

WateryFowls · 17/02/2020 09:20

Blimey, pick a name, make it legal by deed poll or whatever other legal means there are and get your passport. Forget everything that's gone before.

JinglingHellsBells · 17/02/2020 09:20

@lyralalala

Yes you can call yourself whatever you want, BUT if you apply for a mortgage or anything legal nowadays (bank accounts etc) you need ID. You even need to show a passport to collect Click and Collect at Waitrose! (if collecting for someone else.)

And that ID is usually a passport.

And to get a passport you have to have your birth certificate.

Calling yourself what you like is fine with your friends, or if you change your name by deed poll. But you can't have legal docs with different names- which is why the OP is in a pickle.

InsomCho · 17/02/2020 09:20

I don't understand what the problem is. Just get the passport in your legal name (i.e. that which matches your birth certificate).

People can still call you whatever preferred nickname you like (in your case your middle name).

Lexplorer · 17/02/2020 09:21

So how do women retain their previous surnames and have their husband's surname added on marriage certificates as that is effectively a forename change as well?

adaline · 17/02/2020 09:21

The passport office are saying my marriage certificate is wrong ,not me saying that.

That's because it is wrong. You were born Jane Mary Smith. Just because you've decided to call yourself Mary, doesn't mean it's your legal name. You needed to change your name by deedpoll to Mary Jane Smith when you reached eighteen.

I’ve gathered together everything official I’ve got in the name I’ve used for last 20 years ,I will send it of with another explanation ,and hope for the best .

That doesn't matter. Mary Jane Smith isn't your legal name because you never changed it. I can call myself Ada and put it on all my documents if I want but until I change it, my legal name would still be Adaline. My passport and marriage certificates would have to say Adaline.

A legal document is a legal document. You can't just write whatever you fancy on it and hope for the best.

I would also make sure your marriage is legal as you provided your registrar with false information.

dramalamma · 17/02/2020 09:22

The passport office have had new regulation over the last 5 years or so - we've lost three passport fees for our daughter now because they aren't able to tell us what to do and our solution was to get an Irish passport because they're less strict about previous names and had it issued in 48hours after 4 years of trying with the British. Obviously not everyone has this option! But it genuinely was the only way in our case and I think you just have to jump through whatever hoops they need. In your case it sounds like you just need to have it issued in your birth name and realise that you have to use the full name for tickets and official stuff (we do that for my husband who's known by his second name but flights etc are booked in both first and second name). Just a warning - they won't give in. Their policy is that no one is entitle to a passport and the security is more important so they will just keep refusing until you get it right or give up. Infuriating as that may sound that has been my experience.

FlamingoAndJohn · 17/02/2020 09:23

The whole carry on about surname changes is nothing to do with it really.

What surname is on your marriage certificate as your name before you married? Is it the same as your birth certificate?

Your marriage certificate only shows the change of surname to your husbands.

Sunshine1239 · 17/02/2020 09:24

You’re wasting time

Change your marriage cert - nothing else matters and you’ll be back and forth for months

adaline · 17/02/2020 09:25

And yes, the surname issue is irrelevant. Even if you marry you can still use your original surname. I got married eighteen months ago and still have accounts in my maiden name because there's no benefit to me to change it at the moment.

The problem has arisen because you gave the registrar false information.

lyralalala · 17/02/2020 09:26

@JinglingHellsBells

Nowadays. Previously it was much easier. The OP will have no problems with her mortgage or bank accounts now because they were opened with the correct ID at the time

The only issue she will have will be with her passport because she doesn't have a birth certificate or deed poll.

Nothing else in her life will change because of this issue. Having been through it (casual name change at 14, properly changed later) she will be fine.

It's actually completely simple to solve. She either gets the passport issued in her original name. Or she gets a deed poll and has it issued in the name she's known as. It doesn't have to be remotely a drama

For the sake of having an easy estate to solve when the time comes I'd suggest she gets the deed poll, has the passport in her 'new' name and it ties everything together.

To suggest she's committing fraud and will get in trouble is simply scaremongering.

Bigearringsbigsmile · 17/02/2020 09:27

Your marriage certificate doesnt show a change of name at all.
It shows that Mary Smith married joe bloggs on such a date.

If after the wedding, mary smith wants to become mary bloggs then she informs people of the fact and shows the marriage certificate as proof of the marriage.
If joe bloggs decides he wants to take mary Smith's name and become joe smith or joe bloggs- smith he needs to do s change of name deed.

DogInATent · 17/02/2020 09:27

Speak to a solicitor ASAP.

This isn't just your passport, this is your marriage certificate not matching the marriage license. If I were you I'd be wanting some legal (not random internet) advice to confirm I was married.

This should never have happened, you bring your identification documents and birth certificate for the wedding license application, the names are matched, then the names are matched from the license to the register - and you are asked to confirm everything is correct including your legal name.

lyralalala · 17/02/2020 09:27

Changing the marriage certificate won't change the issue with this passport application.

The £80 is gone.

It needs a new passport application either in the birth certificate name, or in the known as name after a deed poll.

The passport office accepted other proof for my known as (school certs, bank accounts), but that was years ago and they won't do that now.

lyralalala · 17/02/2020 09:29

The marriage certificate should have a "previously known as" on it with the original name

flowerbombVR · 17/02/2020 09:33

You need an affadavit. A statutory declaration from a solicitor or councillor. If you shop around you should get 1 for £5 - £10.

Do you know any lawyers or local councillors? They have to swear an oath so better if you know them.

rottiemum88 · 17/02/2020 09:36

The marriage certificate should have a "previously known as" on it with the original name

Only if the OP provided the registrar with her previous name, which I'm assuming she didn't as the registrar would have then asked for official proof of the name change and OP wouldn't have been able to provide it.

I changed my surname at 18 from my DF's name to my mums maiden name and had to do all of the above.

It sounds like OP has just provided her middle name in place of her true given first name to the registrar, her mortgage company and all sorts of other organisations and not had a problem. Until now, when the passport office have quite rightly questioned it Hmm

Paperthin · 17/02/2020 09:37

@HappyGirl86 above is a registrar - so should know.
So, you must have signed to say all correct on the marriage cert for it to be issued and /or registrar didn’t question it?

You are in a mess OP - you need to sort all this using your actual name. I agree with most people, your name is your birth cert name and that’s what must be used.
I can’t see how you have managed to get other official documents in the wrong name, as many times you have to show your birth certificate as ID.

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