Changing US name from the UK

Looking for some help here. I currently have ILR for the UK. I never changed my name in the states, so my passport and biometric residence permit is in my maiden name, while everything of mine in the UK is in my married name (I just carry my marriage license in my passport with my biometric residence permit). My American passport is up for renewal in September, and I'd like to change it to my married name. How do I go about changing my name in the US from the UK? TIA

You'll have to apply for a new biometric resident permit.  It'll cost a couple of hundred pounds and take up to six months to process.

Alternatively, you could apply for UK citizenship (in your maiden name) and after your first UK passport is received, change your name on that.  Citizenship will cost approximately £1,000 more than the biometric card though so can see where that might not be a desireable option.

So I don't need to change my name with social security? Sorry if that seems like an obvious question, I just remember when my sister got married in the US she had to go to the social security office to change her name. I thought I'd have to do that first and then apply for the passport name change?

Also if I go the biometric resident permit route, would I have to send my current one away? Can I travel without it?

Thanks again!

Will you be applying for U.K. citizenship?

Basically, your BRP and your passport must always be in the same name, so if you change your name in your passport you must change your name on the BRP within 3 months or you could be fined £1,000 and have your visa curtailed! It costs about £170 to change it on the BRP and can take up to 6 months.

But if you apply for U.K. citizenship, your BRP will be cancelled anyway as you won’t need it anymore... so no need to change the name on it anymore.

However, you can only apply for U.K. citizenship in the name on your US passport... so it’s all about the timing.

You could:
- apply for U.K. citizenship now in your maiden name
- apply for U.K. passport in your maiden name
- change your name on your US passport when you renew it
- change your name on the U.K. passport

Or:
- change your name on your US passport
- change your name on your BRP within 3 months (you could be without your passport and current BRP for several months)
- if you apply for citizenship later, you can apply in your new name


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Change the passport first (you can do social security at the same time or after if you have two marriage certificates).  Social security only needs to be done before you file your taxes for that year.

If you go the biometrics route, you can't travel while it's being processed as you'll send your old one in.  Unfortunately they really do take about 6 months.  Alternatively you can pay £590 (will increase in April) for same day service.

Ah okay. I was looking for a faster solution - my mom passed away last May and we're having a memorial service in May in the States so I wanted to have everything changed so I could travel with my new passport and BRP, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen! So the choice is either shell out for dual citizenship around £1500 in my maiden name (£1282 for citizenship, £72.50 for a UK passport, $110 for a new American passport to change my name, and £72.50 to change the name in my UK passport), or pay around £300 to change my US passport name ($110 for the name change in my American passport plus £237 to change the name in my BRP). So either the expensive route or the route that takes my BRP away for months! Not a cheap thing to do is it?

Thanks for your advice!

Yeah, it's not cheap or quick.

Sorry to hear about your mom.  Personally, I'd just knock citizenship out of the way.  Even if it means saving for a bit longer. 

Thanks very much. I'll have a think about it! Might just do citizenship for the quickness factor so I don't have to wait on the passport, then the brp, then just to change those down the line when I do citizenship anyways.

Well, citizenship isn't quick.  But if you use the Nationality Checking Service, you keep your passport and BRP and can still travel.

I applied September 25th and my appointed citizenship ceremony was set for January 17th (I paid extra for a private ceremony and had it last Friday).  So about 4 months currently.

Congrats

Thinking about it though - if my driver's licence and everything over here in the UK is in my married name, would I even be able to apply for citizenship and a UK passport in my maiden name (and then change it later when i update my American passport)?

Congrats

Thinking about it though - if my driver's licence and everything over here in the UK is in my married name, would I even be able to apply for citizenship and a UK passport in my maiden name (and then change it later when i update my American passport)?

Yes.  You can ONLY apply for citizenship in your maiden name as that's what is on your American passport.  They will not entertain any other sources for correct name. 

Congrats

Thinking about it though - if my driver's licence and everything over here in the UK is in my married name, would I even be able to apply for citizenship and a UK passport in my maiden name (and then change it later when i update my American passport)?

As KFDancer says, you have no choice... you HAVE to apply for it in the name on your US passport. If that's your maiden name, then you have to apply for UK citizenship in your maiden name. And you have to use the same name for your UK passport as well.

They used to let you choose the name you wanted to use to apply for UK citizenship, but a couple of years ago they changed it and now the name you use for citizenship has to match the name in your passport... whether that's your maiden name or your married name.

So, if you had already changed your name on your US passport previously (i.e. if you'd renewed your passport in your married name before applying for ILR), then you could apply for UK citizenship in your married name.

Nope unfortunately my US passport is still in my maiden name. I was thinking I might just renew my US passport in my maiden name again and leave citizenship for next year. I'd like to get it out of the way so I'm on the fence!

Nope unfortunately my US passport is still in my maiden name. I was thinking I might just renew my US passport in my maiden name again and leave citizenship for next year. I'd like to get it out of the way so I'm on the fence!

Did you know that if your US passport was issued less than 12 months ago, it is free to change your name in it?

So, what you could do, if you can time it right, is:
- renew your current US passport in your maiden name before it expires ($110)
- apply for UK citizenship and your UK passport in your maiden name within the first 12 months of your new US passport being valid
- apply to change your name on your US passport for free, as long it has been valid less than 12 months ($0)
- change your name in your UK passport

See here: https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/u-s-passports/change-of-name/