Hmmm… yes… that’s going to be interesting - I hadn’t thought about the complications with Life Forms…
A case of ‘just sign here’ and quickly whip it away. 
I’m currently trying to get a new passport for my mother so that she can prove her identity and access my father’s pension.
Foolishly, I completed the form using the details from her birth certificate, not realising that she spells her forename very slightly differently.
The first hurdle was that her previous passport was lost* so they wouldn’t issue a new one until the old one was cancelled but, because of the spelling, they couldn’t find trace of the original. A few phone calls and the was sorted.
Next problem was that the names didn’t match up so we had to send in her birth certificate to prove her actual name and get the new passport issued. All good, did that and thought so was done.
But, no, today brings another email that they’ll only issue a passport in the spelling that she uses day to day, so please send documents proving that the “wrong” spelling is the one she uses. I’m just about ready to just pay her the pension myself.
*When I say just, almost certainly thrown out because it had expired and why would you keep an old one hanging around. 
1 Like
I keep everything, but that doesn’t mean I always know where. As with my hospital prescription the other day, searched high and low in the house before going to the pharmacie, only to find it on the passenger seat in the car, where I had obviously put it to remind me to go to the pharmacie.
1 Like
You actually managed to ring them, John? I’m wondering if that’s what I need to do! It’s all very well saying they need more documents, but what documents?
Yes, they were actually very helpful
How did you find the phone number? It’s not on anything I’ve looked at so far…
Good question, it was all a bit fraught and I don’t recall but it’s 0300 2220000
1 Like
Thank you John - very much appreciated!
I had exactly that problem when I renewed my UK passport and finally had to do a deed poll to get my maiden name back, nothing else satisfied them - I was completely stuck until a nice chap from the PO (called Alan something) rang up and said that was the solution and gave me the exact wording to use and then bingo! Particularly ludicrous since my married name was just my maiden name with my former husband’s name tacked on the end.
That’s very interesting @vero , thank you. I really hope it doesn’t come to that - surely to goodness it’s normal for someone to revert to their maiden name after a divorce? Is is just because we’re foreign in their eyes?
Anyway, I’ll bear that option in mind and look into it.
Guess what I’ve just found on the gov.uk web site?
Choose a deed poll
If you’re 16 or over, you can make a deed poll yourself and start using a new name (called an ‘unenrolled deed poll’). If you’re 18 or over, you can apply to put your name change on public record through the High Court (called an ‘enrolled deed poll’).
An enrolled deed poll costs £50.32.
Some organisations (such as some banks, mobile phone companies or energy providers) may only accept an enrolled deed poll to change your name on their records. Contact the organisation to understand the deed poll they will accept as proof of your new name.
Choose to:
- make an unenrolled deed poll yourself
- apply for an adult enrolled deed poll
- change a child’s name by deed poll
If you’re a permanent resident overseas, you cannot change your name by deed poll.
I quite agree, why should we keep a name post divorce, pffff. This was my UK passport - in France the problem doesn’t arise because you always have your maiden name as your legal name, you keep it even if you choose to use your husband’s name or a combination after you marry.
2 Likes
That is extraordinary - it was the passport office person who suggested it and telephoned me here at home in France about it, so he knew fine I wasn’t a UK resident. It was at the end of 2022.
The quote in the post above is from the UK Deed Poll Service. Kim mentioned this service when I briefly had to consider officially changing my middle name as part of the French driving licence process (birth certificate middle name is different to my actual middle name!). Luckily it proved to be unnecessary…
2 Likes
What you’ve quoted there @George1 is very interesting and directly contradicts what’s on the Gov.uk website (not, I suppose that that should surprise me a great deal, given the other stuff that’s on that site )
Update after ringing the Passport office (thank you for the number @JohnH ).
In short, the email I had received said that they didn’t have adequate evidence that I was using my maiden name following my divorce.
Since I had sent them all the documents they had listed, I sent them a message via the Passport Office site asking what it was that was missing or that they were expecting, since I didn’t know what else to send them.
I then received another email 2 days later from them just saying “send us the documents” and nothing else.
I rang the Passport Office and (eventually) spoke to someone and explained the situation. She checked the notes on my file and said that they wanted my divorce certificate. Is that all, I said? Yes - just send that, it will be fine.
Hmmmmm…
(Another month’s delay coming up)
I was wrong about the month’s delay - they actually processed it within 9 days of me posting off the certificate.
However, that does lad to the next question. They are shipping it via DHL (of course!) and, looking at the tracking information, they ar planning to deliver it on the one day that we are both our all day. Sigh…
Although their site goes on about how easy it is to reschedule, I haven’t yet found a way to do it. Any clues, anyone? Or do I just wait for the non-delivery and try to find their depot to collect it from?
I think I might have had trouble trying to rearrange the day. But I had an email the day my passport was due to be delivered and that has an option to reschedule.
1 Like