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This page will cover some of the most common questions from adults looking to change their name after a marriage or divorce.
Your name does not automatically change after marriage. If you’re taking your spouse’s last name you won’t need any additional documents other than your marriage certificate to change your name. This is also the case if you want to have a double-barrelled (hyphenated) last name, combining your maiden name and your spouse’s surname.
However, if you want to keep your maiden name as your middle name, you will need a Deed Poll. You will also need a Deed Poll if you and your partner decide to go with a brand new surname.
Let’s look at an example. If your name is Jane Parker and your spouse’s surname is Smith:
Furthermore, you won’t need a Deed Poll if you only want to change your name from “Miss” to “Mrs”.
If you have lost your marriage certificate, you can either order a replacement marriage certificate or get a Deed Poll.
The following information assumes both your marriage and divorce took place in the UK.
Your name will not automatically change back to your maiden name after a divorce. To revert back to your maiden name after a divorce, you will not need a Deed Poll if you have the following documents:
If you’re missing any of these documents, you can either apply for replacements or apply for a Deed Poll via our online service. These documents will need to be presented when applying for a new passport, driver’s licence, bank account, etc.
It is possible that either your marriage or divorce document is not in English if one happened outside the UK. In this case you can pay for an accredited translation service so the document can then be accepted by UK government officials. Alternatively, you can negate this process by getting a Deed Poll.
If you want to speed up the process after you’ve separated from your partner, you can use a Deed Poll. This is because you won’t yet have the decree absolute which is given only when your divorce is finalised.
Was your question not answered? View our FAQ page for more answered questions or alternatively, contact us.
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