Changing your name

Just putting my 2p in. Like a lot of people, I just left everything that pertains to the States in my former name, and all my things that pertain to the UK in my new married name. So, I have all my US banking accounts, SS, credit cards, passport (along with my ILR), etc. in my old name; as well as, UK bank accounts/credit cards in my new name. With chip and pin, I never have any problems choosing to use my UK credit card(s) in the US and the other way around. 

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/acs/passports/namechange.html

Under 7:

Note: In the United Kingdom, there are varying forms for name changes. However, the only acceptable document for a U.S. passport name change is a Statutory Declaration which has been executed in accordance with the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. This document must be signed by the applicant in the presence of a solicitor administering the oath; the document will be sealed by that official. The document should be signed thus: "Janet Doe formerly Janet Smith."

For a "complete" name change to a US passport, i.e. addition of a "new" middle name, deed poll is not accepted.

I'm confused - I applied for a new passport last year with married name and didn't have to do that.  I think I just had to send the official copy of the marriage certificate if I recall right.  But mine was just a standard change from first middle maiden to first middle hislast.

I'm confused - I applied for a new passport last year with married name and didn't have to do that.  I think I just had to send the official copy of the marriage certificate if I recall right.  But mine was just a standard change from first middle maiden to first middle hislast.

Yes that's just a standard name change due to marriage.

It will make no difference.  Your marriage certificate will prve you are the same person, and they will always grant the visa in the name on your passport.

Vicky

Thanks! Maybe sometime next year I'll change all of my paperwork.

I am now in the process of changing my address on various accounts (as we are moving house next weekend). 

One of my pension providers (Scottish Widows) recently sent me a name/address change form (just in case, I suppose - as I didn't request it) and I held on to it because I knew we'd be moving.  I only looked at it closely last night and saw that if I were to request a name change, they wanted me to provide the original marriage certificate!

To quote the form exactly, it reads:  "If your name has changed on marriage your original marriage certificate must be enclosed.  If you have changed your name for any other reason the original appropriate document must be enclosed, eg Original Deed Poll."

Hmmmm, this reinforces why I am not bothering to change my surname on these types of accounts - I would not be going to the trouble of sending my original marriage certificate off to all these various places, as I've got too many of these such accounts to bother with.

So, how has it worked out for those of you who have gone the Firstname Middlename Maiden Hislast route?  My fiance would like to adopt my maiden name as an extra middle name, with the idea then that I would tack his last name on to mine.  However, I plan to keep my own name professionally and be known as Dr. Maiden or Mrs. Hislast as appropriate.  If we have kids they will most likely have both names. 

How did those of you with this inclination sign your marriage certificate? 

The certificate was just signed with my maiden name. Because they assume you're taking on your husband's name, you just sign as you normally would.

H is now thinking of changing his middle name to my last name, instead of adding my last name as a second middle name. Since they start with the same initial, it should keep the paper-changing down to a minimum. So his initials will be MDL, and mine will be CRLD. We'll probably fuss with all of that stuff later this year, or maybe save it for next year when there's less on our plates.