GP receptionist thinks that all women's surnames change upon marriage....

[onlychildhamster]

Basically the set up in my passport is that I am allowed to add my married name in brackets.

So as an e.g. my name is in the format:

Rachel Tan Huimin (Mrs Rachel Smith)

Tan is my maiden name, Huimin is my Chinese name. In the UK, I go by my married name, Rachel Smith because I find having a white passing names makes life easier in many ways i.e. people aren't confused what your surname is and some people are also nicer to you.

Until now... Basically I need a vaccine certificate to get back to my country. I am concerned that my NHS Covid pass doesn't match what is in my passport exactly. I asked my GP if I could change the name on my NHS Covid pass and got this response. They are telling me that when I married, my name changed and therefore I can't change it back! But I never changed my name in the first place, it just got added to my passport so that I can use it for official purposes. I bought my property in my married name, opened a bank account in my married name and have travelled under my married name. But at the same time, I never changed my name so I still have my maiden name in my passport. It is very unusual in my home country to completely change your name, hence this option to add husband's surname to passport (it's very common for ladies who married Europeans to have this setup). But now the GP said they will not change my name to my maiden name unless I show a name change document!

'When you got married your name changed, now you are asking to change it back to your maiden name, so we need to see Legal documentation that you have changed you name again, so please come to the surgery with this.'
What should I do? Would it help if I register with another GP (who hopefully has a smarter receptionist)?

If you have used your married name to buy property, open bank accounts and travelled using a passport in that name (presumably also used as a form of ID to obtain a mortgage etc) then I'd assume you'd accepted it as your name

Of couse the OP has not changed her name. Not officially, so not in reality, just in usage.

However, I must admit that in your place OP, for anything important (buying property, etc.) I'd have used my full name (both Chinese and English married name) in all documents.

For covid travel purposes, I would think that showing your passport to the GP and asking for any documents to be issued to your full name(s) would be enough.

You could always show them that extract from the Singapore government's page where it explains the format of names in passports so they can fully understand the issue (which will be totally alien to the receptionist).

Or course, you can always trust that it will suffice as it's done so far when travelling, but I understand the covid travel requirements would make you nervous in case you have any last-minute issues at the airport.

@stickygotstuck

If you have used your married name to buy property, open bank accounts and travelled using a passport in that name (presumably also used as a form of ID to obtain a mortgage etc) then I'd assume you'd accepted it as your name

Of couse the OP has not changed her name. Not officially, so not in reality, just in usage.

However, I must admit that in your place OP, for anything important (buying property, etc.) I'd have used my full name (both Chinese and English married name) in all documents.

For covid travel purposes, I would think that showing your passport to the GP and asking for any documents to be issued to your full name(s) would be enough.

You could always show them that extract from the Singapore government's page where it explains the format of names in passports so they can fully understand the issue (which will be totally alien to the receptionist).

Or course, you can always trust that it will suffice as it's done so far when travelling, but I understand the covid travel requirements would make you nervous in case you have any last-minute issues at the airport.

"Just in usage" is changing your name though - you don't have to change anything officially, the name you choose to use is your name.

I don't think System one allows the dual name format your passport has but other GPSoC might be able to. If you want to be registered in your maiden name then write to the practice manager if you haven't already and state - "I want to be registered in my legal name in the UK which is (Maiden name). I have been asked to provide proof of name change to my maiden name but this is based on a mis-assumption based on my Singaporean passport whose system is clever-enough to capture and use two legal names. If your systems are able to also do this then please feel free to capture both and use both names but if your systems can only capture and use a single name then please use (maiden name) which is the one I use. I cannot provide proof of having changed my name back as I never stopped using it. Happy to discuss if this is unclear.

Unless the names you have used are fictional examples then I'd report your posts and ask MNHQ to redact the names you have used in your posts if you don't want these and any other posts to be Google-search-able.

"Just in usage" is changing your name though - you don't have to change anything officially, the name you choose to use is your name

Only if you are British (and even then, it's debatable), which the OP is not.

Oh OP this kind of thing is a total pain in the butt and I sympathise, having been on the end of similar myself. I work under my maiden name (doctor) but use my married name for most other things, like joint bank account, mortgage etc. My employee record and my tax records remain in my maiden name and just so I can prove it, I keep one credit card and my driver's license in my maiden name. I changed my passport to my married name just because it's easier to travel with the children. So basically I have 2 sets of ID which seems to cover most eventualities, but I've been variously challenged by people who have told me what I am doing is illegal as I am trying to impersonate someone else (??? Thanks, patronising twat at the Post Office); told that I absolutely legally must change to my husband's name ( more ???) and my favourite, told that I need to produce a deed poll showing my change of name from my married name (which there is actually no process for 'officially' adopting) back to my maiden name WHICH I NEVER ACTUALLY GAVE UP. Even more confusing is that I was born in Scotland where deed poll isn't even a thing. It seems to blow people's minds a bit.
The Singapore passport workaround is an excellent solution which really I think more official documentation needs to adopt - the flexibility to show working/maiden name and the married alias. Isn't it about time that it was more accepted that not all women want to give up their name?
I realise that's of little practical help but as regards your GP I think patient calm persistence may be the way forward. Repeat as necessary - this is my name. Please change my name to align with my requirements. Good luck.

@Zilla1 thank you. Completely fictional names lol! For the sake of example as it's harder to explain otherwise.

I picked very common names. In my home country, so many girls are called Rachel. I also know a billion huimins. Tan is so common that one year all the presidential candidates had the surname Tan! Rachel Tan is the female equivalent of John Smith.

I have both my married name and my maiden name on my passport. That was enough for covid testing for travel for me (covid test in married name, travel in maiden name) but not to China

I cannot provide proof of having changed my name back as I never stopped using it

But, unless I’m misunderstanding, that’s not what is happening here. Rightly or wrongly OP is registered with her GP only as Rachel Smith. They have no record of her maiden name. She now wants to use her maiden name for her GP records to ensure her covid pass is in the same name as her passport. They’re not asking for ‘proof she changed her name’ they’re asking for proof of what her maiden is, which is perfectly reasonable (or else she could make anything up). A birth or marriage certificate will suffice for that purpose.

If both names are on your passport, do you even need to change the covid travel certificate? As one of the names is reflected on there? I would think that would be enough. Then if you have, say, a UK licence with your married name that can be additional photo ID to show you are the married version as well as the Singapore passport version?

@ProudAlly The names on a covid vaccine pass would be the least of my problems if I was a Chinese national or had close family who were Chinese nationals. I think their borders are shut. It's possible to travel to my home country if you are vaccinated without isolating.

@Allsorts1

If both names are on your passport, do you even need to change the covid travel certificate? As one of the names is reflected on there? I would think that would be enough. Then if you have, say, a UK licence with your married name that can be additional photo ID to show you are the married version as well as the Singapore passport version?

This bit from OPs earlier post is the problem I think

The principal (maiden) name will be printed as usual in the new passport - the married name will appear in parentheses below. Applicants should note that the married name is considered an alias and therefore cannot replace the principal name

So the fact that OPs covid pass will be in her married name which the Singaporean authorities consider to be an ‘alias’ might be the problem. And in OPs place, I wouldn’t want to wait til I got there to find out tbh.

You can't have two names on the gp record.

If you register elsewhere they have to use the name on the central NHS database even if it is different to the name you try and register with. You need to show proof of any name change, however your birth certificate is proof that that was your original name so therefore it can be changed straight away.

This is part of my job.

@Ludovica yep in England.

You can’t have two names for your uk medical records.

You’ve chosen the wrong name to be registered under. You will have to request that it’s changed to your original name.

I’m not surprised the receptionist was confused! Especially if everything else in the UK is under your UK name? You might be better writing in with a photocopy of your passport

@TyrannysaurusXXrightshoarder I tried contacting the government to make sure but they keep sending me automated answers. Their hotline is composed of automated answers. Some helpful ladies on Facebook In the same situation (married name in brackets) from my home country said it's fine as they got through customs with their vaccine pass but honestly my home country is very strict and I would rather be cautious.

@MrsAmaretto my email included the photocopy of my passport...

[quote onlychildhamster]@TyrannysaurusXXrightshoarder I tried contacting the government to make sure but they keep sending me automated answers. Their hotline is composed of automated answers. Some helpful ladies on Facebook In the same situation (married name in brackets) from my home country said it's fine as they got through customs with their vaccine pass but honestly my home country is very strict and I would rather be cautious.[/quote]
I know, I used to live there - I wouldn’t want to turn up with incorrect documentation either OP , I don’t blame you for being cautious!

The covid passport team may be able to sort this. They have a team which deals with name disparities.

If you call the number to order one and explain the situation they will raise a case for you.

Maybe your GP surgery means that their NHS patient records are in your married name, and that's what the difficulty is in providing a covid certificate that doesn't match your NHS number.

If that's the case and they can't sort it out, then try paying for a private GP consult at a different practice where you can privately register for private treatment in the name you need for the certificate. Then get the certificate from the private GP.

Okay so. I travelled to Prague in October. My passport is in my maiden name. My COVID passport and GP records are my married name. I literally just took my marriage certificate and no one batted an eyelid

As others have said you can only have one name at the GP/associated with your NHS number.

So you can change your name at the GP, but you can’t keep changing it or have two names running at the same time.

Sometimes surgeries aren’t fully aware of the rules, this can leave receptions poorly trained. When we got married the surgery took weeks to finally change my husbands surname as they refused to accept a marriage certificate, they eventually gave in when he sent the practice manager the appropriate link showing he didn’t need a deedpoll and just needed his marriage certificate.

@USaYwHatNow they accepted my vaccine pass in Germany too! I am confident of it being accepted on any European country but not sure about my home country. They are just very zealous.

The NHS surgery is now saying:
Without a Legal Document we cannot change your name on the NHS records. You will also need to come to the surgery with your Passport and the Legal Documentation.

I have emailed them copies of my birth certificate and marriage certificate (both in English).

I have written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in my home country seeking their advice.

@uggmum thank you, i have googled this and can't find a hotline, could you please advise? Thank you. Or is it just 119?