Passport has 9 years left, but I’m getting married and changing my surname

[taratatata]

We’re booking our next holiday (for next year). I don’t know what name to book it under - we get married next week, so I’ll have been my new surname for a year.

Can you change your name on your passport for free or is there a cost incurred?

You can leave your passport in your original name until it expires. Or save yourself the stress and hassle and keep your name :)

As others have said. New passport. It's very annoying. I got married abroad but my passport had expired beforehand so had to get a new passport to get married. My plan was to book all future holidays in my maiden which worked for a few years until DH forgot when he had booked some flights so I ended up replacing it.

I had a similar problem with mine! you cannot get a new passport in your married name until you have marriage certificate so just book your holidays in your passport name till it is time to change it in 9 years. that is fine.

You might want to consider how many bank cards you have and how many websites you have those cards registered ….. PayPal. Apple Pay, Netflix etc and then think how fun it will be to update your bank details at all those places. Name changes are a PITA.

Change the passport. You'll need some form of ID to update name changes at the bank etc. Also you'll need to have a photo ID if you're going to rent or purchase a property!

I had this exact issue. I paid the money and changed the passport to my married name. I needed my passport for ID in a and it just made things easier to have everything in my new name

I've been married 4 years and haven't changed my passport for this reason, feels like a waste of money!

I had time left on my passport but updated it anyways with my new married name. Wish I hadn't as the passport lasted longer than the marriage and I was stuck with that name longer than I wanted to be.

I wasn't planning on changing my passport as it had 8 years left and one of the best photos of myself I have ever seen. DH then booked flights in my married name and it would've cost more to change the name on the booking than to get a new passport so I changed it and now have a rubbish picture again :(

It wouldn't matter that the photo ID is in your maiden name if you have the marriage certificate.

Anyway you can change your driving licence to your married name for photo ID in the "right" name, that costs £14.

I kept my passport in my married name after separating from my husband and going back to my maiden name (by deed poll). Have always just booked holidays and insurance in my old, married name.
Had a bit of a panic this year when I broke my wrist on holiday, worried that the insurance company might not pay out as my 'actual' name was different to passport / holiday booking / insurance name. But it was all fine and they did pay out.

Yep, it was a right pain.

I even had one issue where the service account was in my maiden name, but I wanted to update the bank details for the direct debit but they wouldn't let me do it because the name was my married name. Not sure why it mattered who was paying for my mobile phone. So I had to leave it on the old bank account until I got a new mobile phone with someone else.

As ever, the rules have a disproportionate effect on women.

I don't think the travel insurance is an issue. It's the plane tickets because they are so inflexible about name changes.

I just kept my maiden name passport until it expired

I use both names. Passport is in maiden name, they’re both my legal names.

OP, travel is absolutely fine using your maiden name despite using your married name for everything else. The only pain, I find, is remembering to book flights in a name I haven't used for years. I book travel insurance, hotels etc in my married name.

I think my passport has another 5 years to go until it expires and I refuse to pay for a new one until I have to!!

Isn't 'maiden name' a horrid term! 'Birth name' sounds better to my ears.

Women could always...not change their names 🤷🏼‍♀️

I use original name. Birth name implies it was changed as a child I think. Agree though, maiden name is awful

God why are women still doing this, We aren't chattels.

Because some of us want to, and we are lucky to have the freedom to make the choice either way! Without judgement ideally

Yes.
We are so lucky to have the freedom of choice to leave one man’s name that we made our own to take another man’s name.
Aren’t we free birdies!

Marriage does not automatically change your legal name. That is a choice you either make or not. You can keep your maiden name if you wish, you can change to your husband's name if you wish, or he can change to yours. Or you can both just remain as you currently are.

I believe you can even create a totally new name.

I'd leave the passport in your current name until you need to renew it, and then decide whether to change the name or not. Just remember to book all travel in your maiden name.

I did take DH's name on marriage. I do like it too and don't regret that. However, if I had known then what I know now 30 years later I would have kept my own name as a second middle name and just added DH's name after it. I'd have used either then. You could do that. I wish I had as my maiden name would have been a nice link to my parents, especially my late Dad. I might yet add it back in at some point, if I can face the amount of paperwork to get the change recorded on all stuff from the last three decades.

For goodness sake, taratatata simply asked a question about passport details. She didn't ask for judgement or ridicule 🤷‍♀️.

People are in a pickle over ID, its fine to have driving licence and passports in different names. I changed my passport about 12 years ago but have never got round to changing the diving licence (insurance or the legal holder of the car).
I've never changed my name at work.

I've had ID checks for work and checks for working with kids and it's never caused an issue just fill in the box 'are you known by any other names'.