Changing name before divorce - does anyone have any experience of this?

[rusholmemuffins]

I'm currently trying to divorce my ex husband but it's taking forever.

I need to renew my passport. It ran out shortly after my honeymoon and as we never went abroad. It's still in my maiden name. I want to change my name before I renew it as I don't want to renew it in my current legal name because I can I longer prove that I married (as I have submitted my marriage certificate the to the courts when I filed for divorce.

I have emailed my solicitor but so far I've had no response and I wanted advice. Does this cause problems?

Posting in legal too, but wondered if anyone had experience of this.

Thanks in advance.

I'm confused...
The old passport is in your maiden name, and you want the new one in your maiden name too?
Then just renew it?

I didn't change my name when I got married - but the passport office didn't know that. You don't "do" anything on a high level to change your name after marriage - it's up to you to traipse around with your marriage certificate.

I renewed my passport (after divorce) and just completed the standard renewal form - I'm sure the only documentation I had to send in was my old passport.

Even if you used your married name elsewhere, there's no law that says you have to be consistent. So just renew in your maiden name.

Old one in maiden name, expired. Wasn't sure that it was simple. If it is - hooray!

I hope it is!
I don't remember anything on the renewal about "known as" names or something like that - because I'd never changed my name I would remember.
Get the renewal form and check! I think you'll be OK

just print off a deed poll form from the internet, sign it to say that from now on you are to be known by your maiden name and renounce your married name, get it witnessed and you can then use it to change your driving licence, bank accounts, tax and NI records etc. My passport is in my married name and still has a few years till it expires so I haven't changed my name on that, just done all the free stuff!

I changed mine immediately on separation with first divorce - no deed poll needed. I just used my marriage certificate to show I was reverting to my maiden name. No one ever asked for a deed poll as it's the name that's on my birth certificate. I don't think I've ever had to produce my decree absolute for anything either.

In your case as you never had a passport as Mrs XH then I don't see that you need say anything as long as you have the relevant docs in your maiden name to support the application.

Check the .gov.uk passport site which is where I copied this from:

1. Divorce or returning to a previous surname

When you apply, you also need to send:

your birth certificate
a statement signed by you saying you’ve gone back to a previous surname (for example your maiden name) ‘for all purposes’ - that is, you won’t use your married or civil partnership name at all
a document that shows you’re using your new name (for example a payslip, or a letter from your local council)
You also need to send either:

your decree absolute showing both names
a marriage certificate showing both names - if you don’t have it you can order a copy

As you don't want to change the name on your passport, then I think you just renew it. As far as the passport office are concerned, there is no change to your name.

Passport should be fine - I changed mine back to my maiden name pre-divorce, all I had to do was send my birth certificate and a letter that stated I was reverting to my former name.

The bank, however, insisted on either a deed poll or a decree absolute and since ExH was being a twat and contesting the divorce, I had to fork out for a deed poll anyway.