Which passport should I change first?#
The other one. GOV.UK says the name on your non-British passport must match the name you want on your British passport, and that if they differ you should change the non-British passport before you apply for the British one.
Behind that is the Home Office's policy that a person holds its documents only in the name they use for all official purposes. It says dual nationals are normally expected to bring the name on their foreign passport or identity card into line, and that the names in those documents take precedence over the names in marriage certificates and deed polls. HM Passport Office's guidance tells its staff that it will not issue a passport if it cannot confirm you use one name for all official purposes, and that, unless an exception applies, it expects the foreign passport to be aligned before you apply. Its change of name guidance gives the reason: dual nationals may hold several passports, and matching names reduce the risk of people crossing borders under different identities.
So the order is:
- Make the change, with a deed poll or your marriage or civil partnership certificate.
- Change your name with the other country.
- Apply for the British passport. The other passport, now in your new name, can also be the document showing you use it: HM Passport Office accepts a valid foreign passport issued after the change, and from a dual national a colour photocopy of every page, blank ones included.
Will the other country accept a UK deed poll?#
That is the other country's decision, under its own law. HM Passport Office's guidance says most people can change the name on a foreign document through that country's embassy, high commission or consulate in the UK, and GOV.UK keeps a list of foreign embassies in the UK. Ask before you change your name, because the answer may decide how you do it. What India, Nigeria and Pakistan ask.
Ireland is an example. Its Passport Service says it does not accept deed polls to change the name on an Irish passport. For a change other than marriage it wants proof of use instead: two documents from two different sources going back at least two years, at least one of them from a government body, and valid government photo ID in the new name. A married name is changed with the original civil marriage or civil partnership certificate, unless an Irish passport has been issued in the birth name since the marriage.
A UK deed poll is evidence of your change of name in the UK, and our guarantee covers UK organisations; what another country accepts is for it to decide. Using a UK deed poll abroad explains the notarised copies and apostilles some countries ask for.
What if the other country will not change it?#
HM Passport Office's guidance lists exceptions where it will issue the British passport in your new name although the other passport does not match, including where the other country:
- does not allow the change, or allows only part of it;
- does not allow dual nationality;
- will make the change only if you travel there;
- does not recognise a change of gender;
- cannot fit your full name in its passport;
- will not issue a new passport until the British one exists.
Where the other country's process is long or very difficult, or needs a consent you cannot get, staff apply what the guidance calls an administrative fairness test. You send evidence of the process, such as the country's official web page or a letter from its embassy, and a signed statement of how it would affect you; if asking you to align is unreasonable, the passport is issued.
In these cases the British passport usually carries an observation giving the other passport's country, number and the name in it, and the office expects the names to be aligned before you next renew. If an observation would put you at risk, say so: the guidance provides for it. A difference of only a hyphen, a space or an apostrophe does not need aligning.
If you are already changing the other passport, an official letter or receipt from its issuing authority that shows the new name is enough: HM Passport Office issues the British passport without waiting for the new one, and without an observation.
Do I have to tell HM Passport Office about my other passport?#
Yes. It asks you to declare any other passport, valid or expired, when you apply, and its guidance says failing to declare one is a criminal offence. For a renewal, GOV.UK asks for any valid passport from another country, either the passport itself or a colour photocopy of every page. HM Passport Office does not tell other countries that you are a dual national.
Can I travel on two passports in two names?#
Book in the name of the passport you will show: GOV.UK's rule is that the name on your passport must match the one you use when you book.
As a dual national, GOV.UK says you can travel to the UK on a valid UK or Irish passport or a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode; if you became British after settling under the EU Settlement Scheme, your other passport or identity card can also be used. A certificate costs £589, cannot be held alongside a valid British passport, and has to be updated through your UKVI account when your passport or personal details change. British dual citizens cannot get an electronic travel authorisation. An airline may accept an expired UK passport issued in 1989 or later with a valid passport of a country whose citizens can get an ETA, but GOV.UK says the personal details on both must match, and the decision is the airline's.
Other countries have rules for their own citizens. GOV.UK's travel advice says US law requires US citizens to enter and leave the US on a US passport, and the official ESTA site expects the same of dual nationals. Once ETIAS begins, the EU says a citizen of one of the European countries that require it, or of Ireland, must travel there on that country's passport. On journeys like these you may need both passports, which is the practical case for one name on both.
If you are not British, changing your name if you are not a British citizen covers passports and eVisas.
Questions people ask
Can I have different names on my two passports?
Only exceptionally. HM Passport Office issues a British passport in a different name from your other passport only where one of its exceptions applies, and the Home Office's policy is that the difference is then recorded as an observation in the British passport. It expects the names to be aligned before you next renew.
I changed my name abroad. Do I need a UK deed poll?
Not for the passport. HM Passport Office must accept a deed poll made overseas, which need not be enrolled, one enrolled in an overseas court, and the overseas equivalent of a statutory declaration where that country allows a change of name, with evidence you use the name. If your permanent home is abroad, GOV.UK says you cannot change your name by deed poll: living outside the UK.
Does my child's other passport have to match too?
GOV.UK asks for any valid passport from another country belonging to the child when you apply, and HM Passport Office checks the name in it in the same way. For a child's change of name it also asks for written consent from everyone with parental responsibility.
Do I have to give up my other nationality?
Not for the UK. The UK allows dual nationality, and HM Passport Office says it will never tell you to renounce another citizenship or cancel another passport. Many countries do not accept dual citizenship, so check the other country's rules with its embassy or consulate.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
