Have recently applied for my DS2's first passport. Today, I received a letter from the passport office asking for 'documentary evidence' of his change of name. (We changed our mind about his name before he was one, which you can do without changing it by deed poll, therefore his original name appears on the long birth certificate at the bottom, but the name we use appears at the top).
The letter asks us to send a 'statutory declaration providing full details' of his change of name which must be witnessed by a JP or solicitor.
I do not have the original birth certificate and thought that this new one was going to be sufficient. From what I've read on another thread, other mums who have changed their child's name in the first year don't seem to have had this problem with passport applications.
I just don't know what to do. I thought the new birth certificate was already proof of a name change. Do I simply need to write a letter explaining what happened and send it to them? Or do I need to fork out money for a copy of the original birth certificate, plus money for someone to witness a 'statutory declaration'?
Incidentally, my DH is a JP, but I don't suppose he's allowed to witness this for his own son, is he?
Anyone else have any experience or knowledge of this?