Name change process after marriage (post covid)

Hi guys,

In the midst of the (very) complicated process of looking into changing my name after getting married. I'm USC and husband is UKC...we technically got married legally in Scotland back in October & have just had our wedding celebration in the states a few weeks ago!! I was waiting until after the "wedding" to think about any name changes as friends and family did not know we got married privately in October.

I've seen some helpful posts from a few years back here about process of name changes etc and advice on best timings...just wondering if anyone has done this recently and specifically post covid when wait / processing times seem to be drastically lagging still?

I'm also mindful that I am approaching my 5 years on FLRM visas and will be eligible to apply for ILR from 29th October 2022 so feel like it's probably worth while trying to make it all coincide with that process?

With that being said - any advice on the best order / timings in which to do things and how long these processes are taking at the moment would be much appreciated.

From what I can gather I can change my name in the UK on things like my bank account, driving license, utilities etc just by showing my marriage certificate so I will probably do all of that relatively soon.

What gets more confusing is the timing of changing my passport / SSN - do I do this before I apply for ILR or after?

Thanks guys

Okay, so the name on your passport and the name on your visa BRP card must match at all times.

If you change your name on your passport you must also change your name on your BRP card within 3 months of the passport change, or you can be fined £1000 and have your visa curtailed. However, it costs about £150 to change the BRP name and it can take up to 8 weeks for processing, plus it involves another online application and a biometrics appointment.

So, to avoid having to do all that, the best thing to do is to change your name on your passport in the 3 months before you apply for ILR.

That way, you can just apply for ILR in your married name (which will be within 3 months of the passport change) and your ILR BRP card will be issued in the new name, so you won’t need to worry about paying to changing your name on the BRP card.


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