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Original poster

Omg! Just noticed that both of my kids bc's have their dads middle name spelled incorrectly

23 replies

AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 18:46

Hey all - just signed up so please let me know if this is the wrong place to post this. I am literally having the biggest panic attack ever!

So, my daughter's school said that they are taking the kids to germany next year for a school trip! Great! I'll apply for her passport. Did this yesterday.

(For clarity) My partner (both childrens dad) was born in Canada to british parents. He is british. He had a british passport - weve been together for nearly 17 years etc, just not married (next year 🤞)

Anyway - got daughters passport signed off and the passport office said they needed to prove shes british 🙄and because I dont want to have to wait and send the docs again, i decided today to apply for my son's passport and have sent the documents the passport office have sent for both of them. (Their BC's, my BC, and a cover letter explaining that I am british and their mother!)

Sorry for the wall of writing but I just want to get all of the info out!

Here comes the part I am literally panicking about!

Their dads middle name is STEVEN.
I have applied for their passports with his middle name being STEVEN.

Both of their Birth certificates have his middle name spelled as STEPHEN!!
(I took a pic of both BCs before I sent them off - again - because I am a panicker!

How did I not notice this before!
Because we arent married just yet he was their to register them! He absolutely would have spelled his own name correctly!

I am legitimately crying about this!

Fml!😭

OP posts:
Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 18:47

AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 18:46

Hey all - just signed up so please let me know if this is the wrong place to post this. I am literally having the biggest panic attack ever!

So, my daughter's school said that they are taking the kids to germany next year for a school trip! Great! I'll apply for her passport. Did this yesterday.

(For clarity) My partner (both childrens dad) was born in Canada to british parents. He is british. He had a british passport - weve been together for nearly 17 years etc, just not married (next year 🤞)

Anyway - got daughters passport signed off and the passport office said they needed to prove shes british 🙄and because I dont want to have to wait and send the docs again, i decided today to apply for my son's passport and have sent the documents the passport office have sent for both of them. (Their BC's, my BC, and a cover letter explaining that I am british and their mother!)

Sorry for the wall of writing but I just want to get all of the info out!

Here comes the part I am literally panicking about!

Their dads middle name is STEVEN.
I have applied for their passports with his middle name being STEVEN.

Both of their Birth certificates have his middle name spelled as STEPHEN!!
(I took a pic of both BCs before I sent them off - again - because I am a panicker!

How did I not notice this before!
Because we arent married just yet he was their to register them! He absolutely would have spelled his own name correctly!

I am legitimately crying about this!

Fml!😭

Forgot to put!

Is this a reason to panic or should I just calm down?

OP posts:
LemonJuiceFromConcentrate · 04/10/2022 18:50

Oh no! No idea what you should do but clearly registrar error, not your fault, so maybe it won’t stop you using them now — and then you can request official replacements/correction? It must happen from time to time, human error.

dementedpixie · 04/10/2022 18:59

Do you have a British passport?
Giving your passport number should be enough to show your children are British citizens

Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 19:06

dementedpixie · 04/10/2022 18:59

Do you have a British passport?
Giving your passport number should be enough to show your children are British citizens

I do have a british - and I have given it

It took 7 months for their dad to get his british passport purely because he was born in canada and they couldnt work out that his parents were british too even though we gave their marriage cert, his dads british passport and his mums birth certificate!

Im going to hold out hope that theyve kept all the info on their dads file so we dont have to go through all that again as well!

OP posts:
LemonJuiceFromConcentrate · 04/10/2022 19:18

Hopefully it’ll be fine but if you want to reach more of the mn hive mind, maybe get this moved to a busier topic?

Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 19:20

LemonJuiceFromConcentrate · 04/10/2022 19:18

Hopefully it’ll be fine but if you want to reach more of the mn hive mind, maybe get this moved to a busier topic?

I honestly dont know which topic would suit 😅😅

OP posts:
jeffnc · 04/10/2022 19:25

Oh god! What's he said?
It's probably fine?

Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 19:33

?

OP posts:
Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 19:33

LemonJuiceFromConcentrate · 04/10/2022 19:18

Hopefully it’ll be fine but if you want to reach more of the mn hive mind, maybe get this moved to a busier topic?

Sorry I really dont know how to change it

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 04/10/2022 19:34

Had you sent the child's birth certificate originally plus given your passport number?

I dont see why they would need anything else tbh.

Have you checked the addresses you are sending the documents to as when I did applications for 3 people they all went to different passport offices.

Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 19:36

dementedpixie · 04/10/2022 19:34

Had you sent the child's birth certificate originally plus given your passport number?

I dont see why they would need anything else tbh.

Have you checked the addresses you are sending the documents to as when I did applications for 3 people they all went to different passport offices.

I'm not as panicked as much about their british-ness (because it's easily provable that they are) I am v. worrrrrried about their dads middle name being spelled incorrecly on their bcs.

I don't know how to get this post moved :( I'm new here.

OP posts:
Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 19:37

AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 19:36

I'm not as panicked as much about their british-ness (because it's easily provable that they are) I am v. worrrrrried about their dads middle name being spelled incorrecly on their bcs.

I don't know how to get this post moved :( I'm new here.

Show quote history

Oh and yes - the email said send both to address in Durham so that was lucky!

OP posts:
HighlandPony · 04/10/2022 19:47

You can get their birth certificates corrected but it’s expensive. It cost us £75 and the registrar who spelt it wrong in the first place was my husbands bloody auntie (she missed an i and an accent off my eldests looong Gaelic name). Go to the registry office where they were registered and they will do the forms for you. You need to pay for another full birth cert after that too but it’s only a tenner

TroysMammy · 04/10/2022 19:51

My exh's birth certificate showed his Dad's middle name was Charles. It wasn't, Charles is the middle name of my exh. That was recorded correctly.

His parents never noticed but eagle eyes here noticed it when we needed our birth certificates to be married. He had to get it redone using his Dad's birth certificate to prove the error.

CaptainBarbosa · 04/10/2022 19:56

I wouldn't panic too much, it's the same name if you see what I mean Steven and Stephen, they may not even notice it as they will just skim read Stephen/Steven.

If his name was like Malcolm and they had put Steven maybe then I'd panic more.

You can get them corrected at the registry office though as other previous posters have said.

For now I'd sit quiet and tight lipped and see if they notice.

PhilistineWazzock · 04/10/2022 20:09

What does your partner think his name is?

Aspergirl77 · 04/10/2022 20:16

I’m a registrar. You can get the birth entries corrected - if you’re in England or Wales contact the local Register Office where the registrations were done, they can give you the application forms to request the corrections - you’ll need a form for each child. You’ll also have to provide evidence of the correct spelling of your husband’s name and pay to have the corrections considered by the General Register Office (GRO) - because of the type of error, the fee will be £90 per application (so to have 2 birth entries corrected £180). Once you’ve submitted the forms along with the evidence to the Register Office and paid the fee, everything will go to GRO for their consideration. If GRO agree the correction the Register Office will complete it and then you can buy new certificates. Just a heads up, the process can take quite a long time - up to a couple of months!

Just also wanted to say, when you register a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership the onus is on the person who signs the entry to ensure it is accurate - the registrar is there to record the entry in the legal record, not as human dictionary (although in reality the registrars I know are very conscientious about their spellings and checking of details!).

pimlicoanna · 04/10/2022 20:16

It will be fine. I just did one of my childrens passports and noticed the city of birth on her birth certificate is spelt wrong in more than one way. It wasn't an issue. Registrars will make mistakes all the time. It doesn't impact their decision on the passport.

Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 20:17

Wow. How helpful. His middle name is steven. The registrar wrote stephen twice. He wouldnt have spelled his own name incorrectly.🙄

OP posts:
Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 20:19

Aspergirl77 · 04/10/2022 20:16

I’m a registrar. You can get the birth entries corrected - if you’re in England or Wales contact the local Register Office where the registrations were done, they can give you the application forms to request the corrections - you’ll need a form for each child. You’ll also have to provide evidence of the correct spelling of your husband’s name and pay to have the corrections considered by the General Register Office (GRO) - because of the type of error, the fee will be £90 per application (so to have 2 birth entries corrected £180). Once you’ve submitted the forms along with the evidence to the Register Office and paid the fee, everything will go to GRO for their consideration. If GRO agree the correction the Register Office will complete it and then you can buy new certificates. Just a heads up, the process can take quite a long time - up to a couple of months!

Just also wanted to say, when you register a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership the onus is on the person who signs the entry to ensure it is accurate - the registrar is there to record the entry in the legal record, not as human dictionary (although in reality the registrars I know are very conscientious about their spellings and checking of details!).

He spelled his own name correctly though! Why would he spell it wrong?
Also, the docs are with the passport office now so I cant just change them

OP posts:
Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 20:24

pimlicoanna · 04/10/2022 20:16

It will be fine. I just did one of my childrens passports and noticed the city of birth on her birth certificate is spelt wrong in more than one way. It wasn't an issue. Registrars will make mistakes all the time. It doesn't impact their decision on the passport.

I'm seriously hoping this is what happens!

😭😭😭😭

OP posts:
Fernleigh22 · 04/10/2022 20:42

Aspergirl77 · 04/10/2022 20:16

I’m a registrar. You can get the birth entries corrected - if you’re in England or Wales contact the local Register Office where the registrations were done, they can give you the application forms to request the corrections - you’ll need a form for each child. You’ll also have to provide evidence of the correct spelling of your husband’s name and pay to have the corrections considered by the General Register Office (GRO) - because of the type of error, the fee will be £90 per application (so to have 2 birth entries corrected £180). Once you’ve submitted the forms along with the evidence to the Register Office and paid the fee, everything will go to GRO for their consideration. If GRO agree the correction the Register Office will complete it and then you can buy new certificates. Just a heads up, the process can take quite a long time - up to a couple of months!

Just also wanted to say, when you register a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership the onus is on the person who signs the entry to ensure it is accurate - the registrar is there to record the entry in the legal record, not as human dictionary (although in reality the registrars I know are very conscientious about their spellings and checking of details!).

Everything Aspergirl has said is correct. Your husband was handed the register page to check and then he signed it. He signed it to say that was the correct spelling

Original poster
AlwaysPan1ck1ng · 04/10/2022 23:50

Fernleigh22 · 04/10/2022 20:42

Everything Aspergirl has said is correct. Your husband was handed the register page to check and then he signed it. He signed it to say that was the correct spelling

Show quote history

You don't physically "sign" birth certificates in the UK

It's an electronic signature....

Also, didn't want to bring this up here but just thought I'd check because I'd be sick if this one was wrong but I had a stillbirth 10 years ago and that certificate has his name spelled correctly. Steven. Because he spelled his name correctly for the registrar, you know like you would. Do people seriously not think I would have not stopped him in his tracks? I know this is a hard concept for y'all to follow but people - even the dumbest people (and my partner is hardly that) know how to spell their own name!

We just didn't check it at the time because:

  1. Why wouldn't it be spelled the way we said?

-I put their birth certificates in a file and haven't NEEDED to look at them until after I gave them in to the post office today.

  1. He spelled it Ste-v-en.

...........

Mumsnet is not what I understood it to be. No actual answers to questions, just opinions and judgements -

why do any new parents come here for advice?

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