How do I change my name in the Army, Royal Navy or RAF?#
The same way as anyone else, then through your unit. The change rests on a deed poll, or on your marriage or civil partnership certificate if you take your spouse's or civil partner's surname, which GOV.UK says needs no deed poll. Take that document to your unit HR staff, who GOV.UK says can help with updating your record on the Joint Personnel Administration system (JPA). If you hold a security clearance, you also tell United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) yourself.
GOV.UK says a signed deed poll can be used as proof of the new name straight away (when can I use my new name?). Reservists' records are on JPA too.
What will unit HR ask for, and do I get a new MOD 90?#
The MOD does not publish a general procedure. The nearest it comes is JSP 889, its 2019 policy on transgender personnel, which it now says is no longer fully reflective of the legal position and is under review. It says service records are not amended until the person produces documentary evidence of the change of name, such as a deed poll or a statutory declaration, and that they then use the new name from the date of that document. Its list of records to change starts with the identity card and includes medical and dental records, your personal file, JPA and identity discs.
Take the original document to show unit HR. If they want a copy for your file, a certified copy lets the original stay with you.
Not published: how unit HR records a new name on JPA, whether it keeps a copy of your evidence, how a replacement MOD 90 identity card is issued, and how long any of it takes. Your unit HR staff are the people to ask.
Do I have to tell security vetting (UKSV)?#
Yes, if you hold a clearance. UKSV says holders of DV, SC, Level 1B and CTC clearances must report a change of name for any reason, including marriage, on a Change of Personal Circumstances form sent through the NSVS portal. Marrying a current partner does not in itself need a form; taking a new name does, once you have a legal document confirming it, such as a marriage or civil partnership certificate, an enrolled or unenrolled deed poll, or a statutory declaration. A change of gender alone need not be reported, but a change of name must. UKSV's aftercare guidance adds that, for a clearance moving into or within Defence, an outstanding form can delay the transfer.
Changing your surname when you marry in service#
Your marriage or civil partnership certificate is the evidence, for unit HR and for UKSV. The marriage itself is a separate report. JSP 752, the allowances regulations, says you must tell your commanding officer, or their authorised representative, of any change in your personal circumstances that could affect your Personal Status Category, which decides your eligibility for expenses, allowances and service accommodation. The change counts from the date it happens.
Passports and statutory declarations#
HM Passport Office's guidance on armed forces applications, the ones that come with a Ministry of Defence letter from your unit welfare office, says nothing about a change of name. You can also apply in a personal capacity. Either way, plan on the evidence it asks of everyone: changing your name with HM Passport Office.
Its names guidance accepts a statutory declaration witnessed by an armed forces officer of the rank of major, lieutenant commander or squadron leader or above, as well as one witnessed by a solicitor, a notary or a justice of the peace.
Changing your name as you leave#
Get the new name onto JPA before you go. GOV.UK's guide to leaving the armed forces asks you to make sure your JPA record is accurate three to six months before you leave, and to check your draft certificate of service for errors. It says changes of circumstances are not amended after discharge unless Defence Business Services made an error. Your first Veteran Card is produced from your latest JPA contact details and ID card photo, and you hand the ID card back in your last month.
If you leave with a reserve liability, GOV.UK says you have a legal duty to tell your Service Personnel Centre about a change of name. The 1997 regulations behind that duty allow 14 days and ask for it in writing.
A civilian job may bring a criminal record check, which asks for every name you have used; the Disclosure and Barring Service's identity guidelines list an HM Forces ID card or a Veteran Card as a trusted government document (DBS checks). Payroll and right to work checks are in changing your name with your employer.
Changing your name on an armed forces pension or War Pension#
Veterans UK's guidance on changes of circumstances sends a new name to whoever pays you:
- An Armed Forces Pension being paid: tell Equiniti, the scheme's paymaster.
- Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments: tell Equiniti as well.
- A War Pension: tell Veterans UK straight away, and not by email.
Contact details are on Equiniti's contact page and Veterans UK's. Veterans UK's guidance lists no evidence for any of them.
If your pension is preserved and not yet paid, the claim form, AFPS Form 8, asks for evidence of any change of name since you left service: copies, such as your marriage certificate or deed poll, not originals. It is signed in black pen in front of a witness and posted, as email is not accepted. Other schemes are in pensions, savings and investments.
Your service records under an earlier name#
Veterans ask for their records through the MOD's online service; serving personnel complete a subject access request form and email it or hand it in at their unit. If your records may be held in another name, both routes want proof of the change, such as a marriage certificate or deed poll, with proof of your identity and address, and the form asks for your surname while serving. GOV.UK says there is no fee and that a request can take up to a year.
GOV.UK's Veteran Card guide does not say how to change the name on a card. It sends replacements for lost or damaged cards to the Veterans UK Helpline, so ask there.
Questions people ask
Will my medals be re-engraved with my new name?
No. JSP 761 says a medal carries your number, rank, initials, name and Service or regiment as they were when you qualified for it, and medals are not re-issued after a change of name, on marriage or divorce for example. The exception is legal recognition of an acquired gender: serving personnel and veterans can write to the MOD Medal Office, enclosing the medals, for a re-issue in the new name. Changing your name when you transition
Can I change my name by deed poll while posted abroad?
GOV.UK says a permanent resident overseas cannot change their name by deed poll, and a posting is not the same as settling abroad: HM Passport Office's guidance notes that most members of the armed forces applying for passports are ordinarily resident in the UK. Can I change my name by deed poll if I live outside the UK? explains the rule.
Can another service person witness my deed poll?
Yes, if they meet the usual tests. GOV.UK asks for two witnesses aged 18 or over, adding that some organisations refuse a deed poll if a witness lives at the same address as you or is a close relative, so in shared accommodation pick someone who lives elsewhere. HM Passport Office's guidance says a witness need not be a solicitor. Who can witness a deed poll?
Can I fly on an RAF flight with a passport in my old name?
To and from Cyprus, yes, with evidence. RAF Akrotiri's passenger page says a passport in a different name from the flight booking needs evidence of the difference, such as a marriage certificate or deed poll, and that military personnel arriving in Cyprus need their MOD 90 as well as their passport. For other journeys, see can I travel on a passport in my old name?
How do I send UKSV a change of personal circumstances form?
Through the NSVS portal, from the link on UKSV's change of personal circumstances page. Once UKSV authorises the request, it emails you the form with a link to Egress, a secure file-sharing service, for your documents. In exceptional circumstances its helpdesk will help you complete the form manually.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
