Passport Question...

Hi Missdeedee

I work for the passport office so I can help with your querey.

Firstly - If you renew your passport between now and August then the standard renewal fee applies, which is £72 for the standard 3 week service. Then to do a change of name before your wedding using the PD1/PD2 form the renewal fee (as above) would apply.

Secondly - Yes you can leave your passport and do the renewal/change of name in 2010 at the same time. So long as you still have the passort, its undamaged and its less than 20 years expired - you can do the renewal/change of name at the same time. As soon as you apply for any change to the exsisting passport you will automatically be issued with a brand new ten year passport (and it can carry up to a maximum of 9 months over from a passport depending on when it expires).

All changes on a passport carry the renewal fee regardless of when you last applied for a renewal passport.

If you know for deffinate that you will not need your passport for travel etc before you get married then I would leave it and get it done in February 2010, if there is even a small chance of travel or you needing use of the passport then I would renew it between now and August then either leave it in my maiden name until it expires in 10 years time or change it in the new year again.

There is no legal requirement in the UK to change your passport into your married name. It is perfectly legal to travel on it on your maiden name so long as all travel is booked in the name shown on your passport.

Hope this helps and if you have any more questions just ask.

Luv Victoria

xxx

Sorry to butt in but.......Victoria, does that mean if my passport expires in july and my wedding is on the 5th sept can i apply for a new one in june with whats going to be my surname on it? i did not know this!!

x

My turn to butt in now! You can, but it won't be valid until 5th sept.

Hi Little Miss,

Yeah, you can apply for your new one in your married name then.

However you'll need to bear in mind that from you get the new passport back it won't actually be valid until your wedding day, so you can not use it until 5th Sept.

If you want to go ahead with changing your name before marriage you'll need the SE04 (standard passport application form available from the post office) completed in black ink & capital letters. You'd need to fill in section 1 (crossing the box for Adult Name Change), section 2 with all your personal details (remember to complete this in your married name as this is how your name will appear on your passport), section 3 giving the passport number of your exsisting passport and sign and date section 9 (again in your married name).

You'll also need a PD1/PD2 form (downloadable from the passport website www.ips.gov.uk) part of it needs to completed by you and the other part needs to be completed by the person conducting the marriage (minister or registrar), your current undamaged passport and 2 new passport photographs. You'll only need the photographs countersigned if there has been significant facial changes from your last passport, so as long as you can still be recognised from your current passport to your new photographs then there is no need to have then signed on the back.

Hope this helps

Luv Victoria

xx

Thats great thanks!

will probably need to hunt you down again come june for assistance!

x

Nae bother little miss, feel free to email me @ *********@*******.*** if you need any help or more info.

Luv Victoria

xxx

Thank you Victoria!

Your a star! I dont have any plans to be flying anywhere so hopefully I'll get away with one fee and get my passport in Feb x

My turn to but in. My passport is no where near expiring so the women at the travel agent said to book the tickets in my maiden name.

So my passport and tickets will be in my maiden name, will thet be ok ?

My turn to but in now.

We are getting married away from our registry district, so do i need to get the form signed by the one we are getting married in, or will the local regisrty office do?

I've already booked the flights in my married name, so need to get my passport done.

Also if getting married on 2nd may 09, when can i get the passport done.

Thanks

Sorry for the late response I was baking a Victoria Sponge LOL!!

Smowbunny - so long as the name on the passport is the same as the name on the tickets then thats fine, the names on the passport & travel documents must match. An example is my MIL is known as Lily short for Elizabeth) so her friend booked them a flight to Spain, but booked it as Lily X (as thats what we all call her) however her passport is Elizabeth X (as this is her birth name) so que alot of runnign around at the last minute getting in touch with the holiday company to change the name and a small fee of like £25!!.

HTH

Luv Victoria

xx

Hi Damiana,

You need to get the PD1/PD2 signed by the actual Registrar who'll be doing the marriage service.

It can be done from 3 months before the wedding, so for example, I got married on Sept 6th so I could get mine changed from 6th June.

There are different levels of service available, but the cheapest is the standard service, which takes up to a maximum of 3 weeks (providing there are no delays with anything e.g form not completed correctly and the 3 weeks is not guarnteed) and costs £72. Its all done via post. However its worth bearing in mind that the passport office gets quite busy during the summer months so the earlier you get it sent in when using the standard service the better.

I sent mine in last July and it took just over 2 weeks to get back to me as there were no errors etc, cos it was a running joke in the office that it would be really shameful if there was something wrong with my form/photo's cos I work there!!

Hope this helps

Luv Victoria

xx