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Divorce/separation

Here you'll find divorce help and support from other Mners. For legal advice, you may find Advice Now guides useful.

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Original poster

Returning to maiden name before divorce

22 replies

Justmeagain81 · 03/10/2019 15:31

Hi all
Separated nearly 1 year - yes! Want to return to my maiden name now, I know I can change it for free after my divorce but thats going to be a way off.
Can anyone tell me how to do this? I don't understand the guidance on the gov website - not sure if i'm just being stupid!
Thanks in advance

OP posts:

TheVanguardSix · 03/10/2019 15:37

As far as I know, you can legally revert to your surname that you were born with. Your birth certificate is your official, legal document stating your legal surname.
We legally use our marital surname but our actual legal name is the one on our birth certificate.

LonginesPrime · 03/10/2019 15:49

I did this - just changed it back by deed poll the day he moved out.

Velvetdragon · 03/10/2019 15:50

Check with your solicitor, but mine sorted it out for about £75. It was just a standard deed poll form, from what I remember.

SleepwalkingThroughLife · 03/10/2019 16:02

You don't need a deed poll, you just start using it again. Your valid ID is your birth certificate.

If you ever want to change your name to some other random name that has never been yours, you can do it with a deed poll that is free of charge though.

TheOrigBrave · 03/10/2019 16:07

Just do it!
No money involved to change your name, only to get official docs (passport and driving licence) updated.

LonginesPrime · 03/10/2019 16:22

In my case, I had birth certs for my DC that showed my name as my married name and had to show I was the same person so the deed poll was helpful as I was clearly using a different legal name before I went back to my maiden name.

SleepwalkingThroughLife · 03/10/2019 17:40

@LonginesPrime

Didn't anyone accept your marriage certificate as a link between your maiden name and married name?

Simonfromharlow · 03/10/2019 17:46

What if you want to just change your title. Do you have to do that legally? I want to keep my surname because of the kids but change to miss instead of Mrs. I keep meaning to go to the bank and ask but haven't got round to it yet.

CodenameVillanelle · 03/10/2019 17:47

You can use any title you want. It's not a legal name.

You can also use your own surname whenever you like but some places ask for a deelpoll. You can do it online very cheaply.

LonginesPrime · 03/10/2019 18:12

Sleepwalking yes, but I had nothing proving I had changed my name back as lots of places said I needed evidence of divorce, which I didn't have at that point.

It was several years ago and that was the advice I was given at the time - now I have my passport in my maiden name again, I don't bother to use the deed poll cert very often (apart from children stuff when I'm presenting theirs too, to join the dots).

So perhaps you don't need to do a deed poll, but I was dealing with a lot of 'computer says no' type agencies and it was just easier to have some documentation to show them.

Simonfromharlow · 03/10/2019 18:22

@CodenameVillanelle thanks! I'm going by miss from now on then!

SureTry · 03/10/2019 18:58

I did mine by deed poll, I change it on the electoral role so I'd had a letter with my maiden name and address on it. I then changed my driving licence & worked my way from there. I haven't done my passport yet as it's too expensive and I'm not travelling anywhere soon.

Original poster

Justmeagain81 · 03/10/2019 20:50

Thanks everyone! Really appreciate all the answers, think i will get a deedpoll sorted

OP posts:

ExcitedForFuture · 09/10/2019 22:21

@50Justmeagain81 deed poll is free online. Don't pay for one. Type in your details and it generates the deed poll then you just print and get witnessed. I did it because some places were funny about it even though it was the name I was born with, they still wanted all sorts of proof even though I had it in writing from my solicitor that my birth certificate and a copy of my marriage certificate was all that was needed.

Original poster

Justmeagain81 · 10/10/2019 21:09

Thank you for the advice, much appreciated.

OP posts:

MrsDarcy4092 · 11/10/2019 20:06

I did this too, you need to do it via deed poll unfortunately. So there is a cost but it’s easy to do online

MrsDarcy4092 · 11/10/2019 20:09

Oh just seeen you can do deed poll for free - that’s good! I paid unfortunately. And I was annoyed that as it was my birth surname I couldn’t just revert back to it.... will never change my surname ever again

TheOrigRightsofwomen · 12/10/2019 19:18

MrsDarcy
In what circumstances have you needed a Deed Poll?
I have found my marriage cert and decree absolute to be sufficient for every service where I have needed to change my name back to my maiden name.

FunOnTheBeach20 · 12/10/2019 19:20

Change of name deed or deed poll.

CodenameVillanelle · 13/10/2019 08:28

Mrsdarcy You don't need a deed poll legally, you never gave up your surname you just assumed a different one. However some organisations don't grasp this and ask for deedpoll or divorce certificate because they wrongly believe that women no longer have the right to use their own name when they get married.

ExcitedForFuture · 13/10/2019 11:03

I wanted to revert before absolute and yep, many places wouldn't just accept this (bank especially) with my BC and MC, it was just easier to get the free deed poll online. Even then the bank were a bit iffy as it didn't have a red seal and I pointed out that it didn't need it and what I had was sufficient. They did accept it in the end.

MrsDarcy4092 · 13/10/2019 11:28

I couldnt change the name of my bank account without it which meant my new mortgage would have been in my married name and I did not want that.
I could have put up with small organisations refusing to change my name to maiden name but I really didn’t want to buy my new property in my married name and the bank absolutely refused.

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