Changing your name

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.

So, if I was going to change my name in my passport, but still wanted to also be known by my maiden name, it would have Kathleen marriedname also known by Kathleen maidenname?  Am I reading this correctly?

My poor brain is having trouble grasping this today.

2.  Maiden or Previous Married Surname as "known as" entry

An applicant may have his/her maiden or previous married surname included in his/her passport as a "known as" name provided he/she submits:

    * Three pieces of acceptable identification as listed above; and
    * Evidence of claim to the former name: i.e. marriage certificate, birth certificate, or expired U.S. passport in that name.

But 7 is for name changes through a Court Order/Adoption/Statutory Declaration, not marriage?

Here was my experience.

I changed my name from Geeta Middle MaidenLast
to
Geeta DHfirstname MarriedLast. 

It's common for Hindu wives to do that.

Anyway I tried doing it per the regular mail in forms saying it was due to marriage and they requested that I come in to the Embassy as I was doing a name change for reason other than marriage.  Which wasn't true but whatever, it didn't fit in with their typical scenario.

So I did and they just made me show some evidence that I'd been using that name before - I had my US driver's license, my US social security card, and some financial statements.  They just asked me why it was that way and I had to sign a form saying in the Hindu religion women take their husband's first name as their new middle name upon marriage.

That was it!  Then they sent me the passport in the mail.

so perhaps what you signed in the embassy was a statutory declaration?  basically a simple piece of paper that states from this day on you're using new name, notorized/witnesses/etc?

so perhaps what you signed in the embassy was a statutory declaration?  basically a simple piece of paper that states from this day on you're using new name, notorized/witnesses/etc?

It wasn't witnessed or notarized or anything like that, it was literally just a xeroxed form.  I was the only one who signed it.  It didn't say anything like 'from now on I use this name', as I'd already been using it.  That's what I think of as 'statutory declaration' - it's like the equivalent of a court order saying - from here on out my name is X. 

What I filled out was just like a 'further information' thing for the passport authorities explaining why I'd been using that name already.  Hope that makes some sense?

geeta, how did you change the name on your social security card?

That's what I'm more worried about than anything.  It's good to know that a UK Statutory Declaration is good enough for changing your passport, but I wonder if it'll be accepted by the Social Security Administration.

Anyway, I recently got married and have been "assuming" my husband's name, such as by changing my email address at work and just calling myself by it, but my paycheck is still being paid into the bank account with my maiden name on it that I do not plan to change, just for reasons that it's too complicated

You know what, I might go this route as well...especially since if I do change my name I absolutely don't want to drop my maiden name so I'd probably have to do a court order in the US (and as far as I can tell there's no way to do a court order in the US if you don't live there!)

I've just spent the last half hour looking at name change stuff and have come to the conclusion that if you're not doing a standard last name swap based on marriage, the whole process is entirely too complicated

I've kept my maiden name on all my US stuff, plus my passport and all my immigration stuff and all my credit cards (both US and UK).

It's just easier that way.

geeta, how did you change the name on your social security card?

That's what I'm more worried about than anything.  It's good to know that a UK Statutory Declaration is good enough for changing your passport, but I wonder if it'll be accepted by the Social Security Administration.

I went to the Social Security office in Chicago to do it.  I think the very first thing I changed was my US drivers' license.  That might have been dumb luck, as at first the woman didn't want to just change it as I wrote it but then she just did it.  She asked me 'why is your middle initial changing?'  I think I just showed her the marriage certificate again and made something up and she sort of shrugged her shoulders and did it.  Hee hee!

I think then I took the driver's license to the social security office to get that changed next.  If I remember correctly that was no problem at all really.

Another thing - not the most pleasant thing in the world, but after my father died, the fact that I hadn't changed my name on my US records anywhere made things easier for me during a time when I really didn't want to deal with stuff, as he had me listed as a beneficiary of his accounts/policies under my maiden name (since he did this when I was a child.)

I've kept my maiden name on all my US stuff, plus my passport and all my immigration stuff and all my credit cards (both US and UK).

It's just easier that way.

Question then...what documents have you changed to your married name in the UK?

You know what, I might go this route as well...especially since if I do change my name I absolutely don't want to drop my maiden name so I'd probably have to do a court order in the US (and as far as I can tell there's no way to do a court order in the US if you don't live there!)

I've just spent the last half hour looking at name change stuff and have come to the conclusion that if you're not doing a standard last name swap based on marriage, the whole process is entirely too complicated

Andrea, I agree, and life is already complicated enough!  It's been nearly three months whereby all I've done is create new personal email accounts (e.g., gmail) with my new name and changing it on my work email account, and so far, so good.  I only need to keep the situation in mind when I'm signing legal forms (such as our mortgage paperwork which was the most recent item - and it seemed odd to use my maiden name).

Now that chip and pin is so common, I don't sign my name anymore when I use my credit card, which would have been the most common instance to have to use my still legal maiden surname.

Like I said, so far so good, but maybe it also helps that I am a Gemini   

I haven't changed my name at all. I toyed with it but in the end it was just too much effort with all the visa stuff pending. I didn't really want to anyway.

I haven't changed my name at all. I toyed with it but in the end it was just too much effort with all the visa stuff pending. I didn't really want to anyway.

So, being very nosey here, do you ever use your married name? 

Do you think changing your name before you apply for the ILR would muck up the paperwork? I'm afraid that if I change my name after receiving the FLR(M) that when I apply for the ILR they'll make me jump through extra hoops and delay the process for me to prove that I'm still the same person...

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