Problems after changing your name, and how to fix them

Why do name changes go wrong?#

Almost always for one of three reasons. A document does not show the link between your old and new names, which HM Passport Office's guidance says it must; you have no document yet showing that you use the new name; or one organisation has a policy of its own. Each has a direct fix, set out below with a link to the full answer. Find your problem by the heading that sounds like it.

"My deed poll has been refused"#

Ask exactly what is being refused and where the rule is written down: an original rather than a copy, an enrolled deed, or a real fault such as a missing witness or date. HM Passport Office tells its staff to accept an unenrolled deed poll signed in both names, witnessed by at least one person, in wet ink and dated. Measured against that, most refusals are caution, and a certified copy with a second document in the new name usually ends them. What to do if your deed poll is refused has the steps, and every deed we draft is covered by our guarantee.

"My bank wants a passport in my new name first"#

Some banks ask for this with an unenrolled deed poll. Lloyds and Halifax say they accept one only with a valid driving licence or UK or EU passport in the new name, Santander wants one ID document in the new name with it, and TSB proof that you use the new name, like a certified copy of a licence or passport. So change the passport or licence first and the bank second, or start with a bank that takes the deed alone. Banks compared shows sixteen, and the bank checker yours.

"The passport office wants proof I use my new name"#

It needs one document in the new name besides the deed poll, such as a letter from HMRC, your employer or your council, or a bank statement, issued in the last 12 months. Tell one of those first and wait for its letter before you apply. What counts as proof of a name change lists what it accepts.

"My name is different on my documents"#

Decide on the one name you use for all official purposes and bring every record into line with it. A marriage certificate links a maiden name to a married one; a spelling an organisation got wrong is theirs to correct; a spelling you chose is a change of name. My name is different on my documents works through each case.

"An organisation has my new name wrong"#

Ask it in writing to correct the record and send the evidence. The Information Commissioner's Office calls this the right to rectification: you say what is inaccurate and how it should be corrected, and the organisation normally has one month to respond. If it does not put it right, complain to the organisation first, then to the ICO.

"My divorce papers were not accepted"#

On their own they rarely are. HM Passport Office does not accept divorce documents alone, because those issued in England and Wales since 1971 do not link the names; send your marriage certificate with them. A lost certificate from England or Wales can be reordered from the General Register Office for £12.50. Going back to your maiden name has each organisation's route.

"I have booked travel in my old name"#

Travel on the passport in your old name. GOV.UK says the name on your passport must match the name you book in, and changing your name does not cancel the passport you hold. Can I travel on a passport in my old name? covers visas, ESTA and post-dated passports.

"My new passport will not arrive in time"#

HM Passport Office says you will usually get it within 3 weeks. If that is too late, the 1 week Fast Track service, £192 for an adult, covers a change of name; HM Passport Office's guidance rules out the 1 day Premium service when personal details have changed. GOV.UK warns that paying for an urgent passport after you have already applied will not bring it sooner. How long a passport in a new name takes has the detail.

"A credit check failed after I changed my name"#

Experian says a change of name does not affect your ability to get credit once your credit report has been updated with your new details, and suggests contacting all your lenders directly first. Failures usually come from a change only half made, with some lenders reporting the old name and some the new. Tell every lender, then check your report a few weeks later. Does changing my name affect my credit rating? explains why.

"There is a mistake on my deed poll"#

Do not correct it. A crossing-out or correction fluid invites the doubt about genuineness that HM Passport Office tells its staff to look for, and a misspelt name breaks the link to your documents. The fix is a new deed, signed and witnessed again. Mistakes on a deed poll sorts the ones that matter from those that do not.

"I have lost my deed poll"#

Your name has not changed back; you have lost the evidence. No office keeps a copy of an unenrolled deed poll, so if it does not turn up, a replacement deed records the same change and the date you made it. I have lost my deed poll has where to look first.

"My right to work check shows different names"#

Bring the document that explains the difference. The Home Office's guide tells employers to check the reason for any difference in names with supplementary evidence, such as a marriage certificate, a divorce decree absolute or a deed poll. With an eVisa, GOV.UK says to update your UKVI account with the new name before you get a share code. Telling your employer has the rest.

"My DBS certificate is in my old name"#

DBS says a certificate has no official expiry date, so an employer may still accept it, with your deed poll to link the names. On the Update Service, DBS says a change of name means a new check, and recommends a new subscription in the new name. DBS checks after a name change explains both.

"The other parent will not agree to our child's new name"#

GOV.UK says a child's name can be changed with the agreement of everyone with parental responsibility, or with a court order, and that you must try to agree first. Without agreement the route is a specific issue order on form C100, which costs £270. Changing a child's name without consent explains how the court decides.