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If you have changed your name or are about to

If you recently changed your name or plan to do so in the near future, you will have to change the name on your passport. If you don't, you may be unable to travel abroad.

When you apply to change your name, your current passport will be cancelled and a new standard ten-year passport issued. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) will credit your passport with extra time (up to a maximum of nine months) to cover any time left on your old passport.

What happens if your child is included on your passport?

If you have a child on your current passport, they cannot be included on your new passport because of changes to passport rules. You will need to apply for a child passport on their behalf.

Follow the link below on applying for a child passport.

• Who can apply for a child passport and when

Changing your child's name on their passport

If you wish to change your child's name on their passport or yours, you should call the Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000 for help.

If you plan to change your name when you get married or form a civil partnership

Deciding whether to change your name before or after the ceremony

You should think carefully about whether to change the name on your passport before the ceremony or wait until you have returned from a foreign trip.

This is because the name on your passport should match the name in which you booked your travel. Even if you carry your marriage or civil partnership certificate with you, if the name on your passport does not match the booking:

• some countries may not let you in
• some travel companies may not let you board their flights

You should check with your travel agent or the consulate of the country you plan to visit.

IPS can change the name on your passport up to three months before the ceremony. They will cancel your old passport and issue you a new one. But the new passport is 'postdated'. This means you cannot use it before the day of the ceremony. Some countries will not issue visas for postdated passports. You should check with the consulate of the country concerned.

• Find foreign consulates and embassies in the UK Opens new window

If you decide to apply to amend your passport before the ceremony

To amend your passport before the ceremony, you need form (PD2) and leaflet (PD1) 'Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners', which explain what to do. You can get these:

• by downloading them as PDF files
• from Post Office branches that offer the Check & Send service
• from any Regional Passport Office
• by calling the IPS Passport Adviceline 0300 222 0000 to get them sent out to you

The form should be completed partly by you and partly by the person who is to conduct the ceremony. The leaflet explains this in more detail.

• Download PD1 - Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners leaflet (PDF, 141K)

• Download PD2 - Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners form (PDF, 110K)

• Help with PDF files

• Find your nearest Check & Send Post Office Opens new window

• Find your nearest Check & Send Post Office (Northern Ireland) Opens new window

If you decide to apply to amend your passport after the ceremony

If you want to amend your passport after your wedding or civil partnership, you need only complete the standard passport application form. You will also need to send your marriage or civil partnership certificate to IPS.

The Civil Partnership Act and changing your name on your passport

The Act came into force on 5 December 2005. It allows adults of the same sex to enter into a legally binding civil partnership. IPS accepts civil partnership certificates to show a change of name.

• Detailed information on registering marriages and civil partnerships (government, citizens and rights section)

How a name change affects visas in your passport

When you apply to amend your passport, IPS cancels your current passport and issues you a new one. This means that any visas in your current passport may become invalid. You should ask the consulate that issued the visa whether you can use an unexpired visa in a cancelled passport. If not, you will have to reapply for the visa for your new passport.

Next steps - changing the name on your passport

To get an application form, check the fee and find out what supporting documents you need to provide, follow the link below.

• The application form, fee and supporting documents for a passport name change