Passport renewal question, name change (on passport) involved

[Katiekitty]

My pasport has expired and I'm going to renew it, I also need to change my name on it as i've got married since I took the initial passport out and it's in my maiden name.

WIll I be able to sort all this out at the post office, or will it be a complicated one? If I take all the relevant certificates and paperwork with me, will they be able to do it and send it off from the post office?

I am clueless when it comes to these things, can anyone offer any guidance?

If you wanmt to do the check at the PO then make use of it, they did muck up on DD's, you do need to produce marraige cert

Go to the post office and pick up the passport application form. It comes with a guidelines booklet to help you fill it in and tells you exactly what's required. I think when I got married they just needed the marriage certificate to be sent in. However, as I said, get the package from the post office and bring it home and read it through properly before you complete and return the form etc.

I did check and send last time for dd2's passport and in spite of paying the extra for the service, I still had the application returned for 2 reasons regarding dd2's photograph!!

1. She was smiling
2. She wasn't sufficiently close to the camera in the photo booth.

Ended up having to retake the photos in the booth with dd2 stacked up on 2 cushions and had to force her not to smile at the camera

When I renewed my passport I had to change my surname. It was very simple and straighforward. The only problem I had was in getting a replacement marriage certificate.

Will they accept a copy of the marriage certificate or do I have to take the original in?

I've got the forms form the PO, I will read them through... are they written in plain English?

I think they needed the original, but check your gumph to be sure!

You need to send your original marriage certificate, always originals for the passport office (or official copies, like if you lost your original birth certificates, not photocopies).

I've just used the online service to get DD's first passport. You'd still have to make sure you don't get your date of birth wrong or something (not that the Post Office would notice that) but I found it helpful not having to handwrite it (always get something wrong) and because I'd selected 'first passport for child' I could only fill in the right boxes, not like having to read the guidance.

For photos, I can recommend paspic.com, you upload a digital photo, it does some basic automatic checks, then a person checks it for suitability, and then it gets sent out to you.

Because I got married in Costa Rica I would have had to get an official translation of our marriage documents. It was easier for me to change my name by deed poll to my new married name. No problems with getting the passport with then.