Passport refused - uncancelled passport in maiden name

[ramgsk]

Wanted to share my experience too if this helps others.

We got my wife's passport after couple of months of application.

We mife had uncancelled Indian Passport with her maiden surname, we applied for the First British Passport with the married surname.

Had multiple communications and phone calls with the HMPO. To summarise
1) HMPO wanted us to show them two to three evidences of we using her married surname for official purposes (Which we did not have, we wrote HMPO to get our marriage certificate back which we sent with the application, got the name changed for NHS, Banks, Gas and Elec, and sent them the copies and the marriage certificate)
2) A signed statement that she would use her married surname for official purposes after getting the British Passport, and that we surrender the Indian Passport upon the receipt of British Passport and that we send the copy of the Surrender Certificate after the process
3)Any evidence that we contacted Indian Embassy that we would surrender our Indian Passport after receiving British Passport. Sent them HMPO the email chain I had with VFS helpline that we would surrender our Indian passport after receiving British Passport, and asking if we can get anything in writing from Indian Embassy - VFS response was standard - You need to submit British Passport to surrender Indian Passport. But HMPO considered this conversation. (I explained HMPO my various phone calls to Indian Embassy that they are not ready to give anything in writing)

[Vic4Jenny]

mimimari,
No, HMPO did not entertain that option for us (we did ask).
Passport is in married name only with no reference to former (maiden) name.

The identity policy is a total nonsense really; she still uses both names in this country & maiden name in original home country (where UK has no jurisdiction).
All HMPO seemed to want to achieve was to suppress the foreign passport (which they did achieve).

Hi noajthan,

I, like you, have a Filipina wife. She has applied for her citizenship, for which she is still awaiting the decision, a long drawn out process that requires patience. I'm guessing that she will have the same issue as you when applying for her first UK passport too. We have not updated her credentials with the Philippine authorities for the same reason as most people to maintain continuity in the process of applying for all UK visa's etc. i.e. the same applicant name as the passport throughout, including the citizenship certificate names. Tried to do everything using the KISS principal, doesn't seem like it will work in this case though!! My thought is that once she has received her citizenship, always the optimist, but before applying for the UK passport, to then go through the Philippine process of applying for dual citizenship, including the marriage notification, which then also requires the renewal of the Philippine passport to include change of name and an indication of dual citizenship. I'm guessing that this would the satisfy HMPO in respect of the other passport name being in the married name etc. I would like to apply for the UK passport immediately after making the Philippine application, as there is a 12 week lead time on getting the Philippine passport back from Manila, but I'm guessing that HMPO will require evidence that it has actually been done. Do you know if the Philippine embassy provides any official paperwork following the passport application that could be included with the UK passport Applucation? Please let me have your thoughts as to whether I'm heading in the right direction and if you think I might hit any hurdles. Many thanks in advance.

[noajthan]

Hi noajthan,

I, like you, have a Filipina wife. She has applied for her citizenship, for which she is still awaiting the decision, a long drawn out process that requires patience. I'm guessing that she will have the same issue as you when applying for her first UK passport too.

...

Do you know if the Philippine embassy provides any official paperwork following the passport application that could be included with the UK passport Applucation? Please let me have your thoughts as to whether I'm heading in the right direction and if you think I might hit any hurdles. Many thanks in advance.

Hello,
Your route makes sense & I believe it will work as you will eventually end up with all documents/both passports in married name.

One of your steps will have to be to reacquire the Philippine citizenship for your wife (if she wishes to maintain land & voting rights etc) after she receives her British naturalisation certificate (ie as per R.A.9225) - I think that may be what you meant by "applying for dual-citizenship".

Note: From memory, the embassy form to reacquire citizenship specifies that a British passport is to be submitted - suggest you check that point with the embassy as you won't yet have one

We didn't adopt the same sequence as you plan as we had travel plans & knew we couldn't wait for the lengthy lead time on the PH passport.
(As it turned out the travel plans were ruined by HMPO anyway even without the additional step of getting the PH passport).

Last time we got a PH passport via the embassy it did take around 2.5 months.
(To avoid a return trip to London you can give them a Royal mail special delivery envelope to return the passport to you).

To your question: No, there is no real paperwork issued by the embassy in connection with passport application, just a flimsy receipt for the fee & with a reference number on it.
I suppose you could ask them for a letter to confirm your application.

Such ad hoc requests seem to confuse the officials somewhat but if you are persistent they may well agree (as they did for us for the special cancellation letter).

But don't forget, HMPO are only interested in seeing uncancelled passports; if you haven't actually been issued with the new Philippine one then you won't have a new one to submit to HMPO ( )

Note: You should make sure the embassy actually cancels the original Philippine passport - then you won't have to submit the old one with the British passport application either.

(We only got trapped by the new policy as, despite my wife's PH passport becoming null & void by naturalising, it wasn't officially cancelled immediately; we didn't know or think it was necessary and that's how HMPO became aware of it & objected to the name on it).

If your wife has SSS you can update those details via the embassy too.

Hope it makes sense - mabuhay!

[Musicbox]

This is driving me crazy with worry!!!
My wife is Thai and hold her Thai passport in her maiden name. She can't surrender it nor wish to change to our married name as this affects her family heritage and chances of owning land back in Thailand ( Plus since 2003 a ruling by a constitutional court, Thai women no longer have the obligation to adopt their husbands surname after marriage).
So I wonder if its just simpler to get her Naturalisation certificate in her maiden name and just send in her matching passport to get her UK passport in her maiden name and be done with although being married. I would simply show any parties in the UK our marriage certificate to book holidays etc..
I don't know if I'd hit the same problem with regards applying for her Naturalisation certificate if the see she has a married name.. seems they don't care so much what you want you put for the name to be issued with (married or maiden) than all the fuss HMPO require... This all seems so stupid as she'd still effectively be using two identities....
I'm assuming by all the phone calls I've put into the HO that her Naturalisation can be done on her maiden name, there again some agents give conflicting answers which is soooooo helpful (NOT)

So if anyone thinks can't be done, love to hear from you as the HO said once you get your naturalisation done in her maiden name, you can't change it

Another day in paradise
Roy

[noajthan]

This is driving me crazy with worry!!!
My wife is Thai and hold her Thai passport in her maiden name. She can't surrender it nor wish to change to our married name as this affects her family heritage and chances of owning land back in Thailand ( Plus since 2003 a ruling by a constitutional court, Thai women no longer have the obligation to adopt their husbands surname after marriage).
So I wonder if its just simpler to get her Naturalisation certificate in her maiden name and just send in her matching passport to get her UK passport in her maiden name and be done with although being married. I would simply show any parties in the UK our marriage certificate to book holidays etc..
I don't know if I'd hit the same problem with regards applying for her Naturalisation certificate if the see she has a married name.. seems they don't care so much what you want you put for the name to be issued with (married or maiden) than all the fuss HMPO require... This all seems so stupid as she'd still effectively be using two identities....
I'm assuming by all the phone calls I've put into the HO that her Naturalisation can be done on her maiden name, there again some agents give conflicting answers which is soooooo helpful (NOT)

So if anyone thinks can't be done, love to hear from you as the HO said once you get your naturalisation done in her maiden name, you can't change it

Another day in paradise
Roy

Roy,
I have no doubt your wife will acquire a British passport in the end.

HO (naturalisation) & HMPO do appear to be operating to different rules.
I believe HO will naturalise your wife in maiden name.
So you could follow the path of least resistance as you outlined - go for passport in maiden name too.
Which name is used in practice after that (maiden or married - and in which country), HMPO will not know.

Or you can mount a campaign as hellonowhere did & succeeded with; that is to have an observation put in the passport recording maiden name but with passport issued in married name.

Ref: british-citizenship/passport-refused-un ... l#p1225431

Details in hellonowhere posting above, but it's obviously harder, takes longer & involves stress & uncertainty. It seems to be done on a case by case basis & may be denied if HMPO won't play ball.

Good luck.

[noajthan]

Wanted to share my experience too if this helps others.

We got my wife's passport after couple of months of application.

We mife had uncancelled Indian Passport with her maiden surname, we applied for the First British Passport with the married surname.

Had multiple communications and phone calls with the HMPO. To summarise
1) HMPO wanted us to show them two to three evidences of we using her married surname for official purposes (Which we did not have, we wrote HMPO to get our marriage certificate back which we sent with the application, got the name changed for NHS, Banks, Gas and Elec, and sent them the copies and the marriage certificate)

2) A signed statement that she would use her married surname for official purposes after getting the British Passport, and that we surrender the Indian Passport upon the receipt of British Passport and that we send the copy of the Surrender Certificate after the process

3)Any evidence that we contacted Indian Embassy that we would surrender our Indian Passport after receiving British Passport. Sent them HMPO the email chain I had with VFS helpline that we would surrender our Indian passport after receiving British Passport, and asking if we can get anything in writing from Indian Embassy - VFS response was standard - You need to submit British Passport to surrender Indian Passport. But HMPO considered this conversation. (I explained HMPO my various phone calls to Indian Embassy that they are not ready to give anything in writing)

+1

Very informative & sure to help others.

[Marii]

This is driving me crazy with worry!!!
My wife is Thai and hold her Thai passport in her maiden name. She can't surrender it nor wish to change to our married name as this affects her family heritage and chances of owning land back in Thailand ( Plus since 2003 a ruling by a constitutional court, Thai women no longer have the obligation to adopt their husbands surname after marriage).
So I wonder if its just simpler to get her Naturalisation certificate in her maiden name and just send in her matching passport to get her UK passport in her maiden name and be done with although being married. I would simply show any parties in the UK our marriage certificate to book holidays etc..
I don't know if I'd hit the same problem with regards applying for her Naturalisation certificate if the see she has a married name.. seems they don't care so much what you want you put for the name to be issued with (married or maiden) than all the fuss HMPO require... This all seems so stupid as she'd still effectively be using two identities....
I'm assuming by all the phone calls I've put into the HO that her Naturalisation can be done on her maiden name, there again some agents give conflicting answers which is soooooo helpful (NOT)

So if anyone thinks can't be done, love to hear from you as the HO said once you get your naturalisation done in her maiden name, you can't change it

Another day in paradise
Roy

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... LUME_2.pdf

Look at this link. I think your wife can not apply for naturalisation in her marriage name anymore if her home passport still on her maiden name. Home office now use same rules. Easyer option for her to get naturalisation and British passport on her maiden name.

[Brusselsbabe]

Im having problems with the passport office because my 14 year old son's German passport only gives 2 of his forenames and doesn't include the third. This was due to lack of space - we were told only to fill in 2 names on his German application. The passport office say they can't issue a new passport for him because the names are different. I feel like I'm bashing my head against a brick wall - the names are not different, it's just that the one passport omits one of his 3 forenames. This is crazy - have they nothing better to waste their time on ? They say he may be using more that one identity. This may be hard seeing as he has the same forenames, surname, date of birth, place of birth, address, photo and signature. I think he may have chosen a slightly more different identity if he was up to no good ! That's once he's finished his homework !

[noajthan]

Im having problems with the passport office because my 14 year old son's German passport only gives 2 of his forenames and doesn't include the third. This was due to lack of space - we were told only to fill in 2 names on his German application. The passport office say they can't issue a new passport for him because the names are different.

...

Other people have reported some small wins when attempting to sort out small differences in forenames with HMPO.

If still a headache suggest contacting HMPO in writing & trying to work it out.
(Don't rely on helpline conversations).

[em-em]

Hi noajthan,
I just have a question about your wife's LIUK test as I need to get one.I meant to do it on February this year but I have no time to study and can't concentrate as I got 2 little children.So I applied for FLRM instead and been granted.My husband wants me to take an exam next month but I am not prepared and feel pressured if I think of LIUK test.I live in London and you mentioned that your wife is a Filipino and so am I but my English grammar is not good as her especially yours lol .Any help please?Thank you!

[noajthan]

Hi noajthan,
I just have a question about your wife's LIUK test as I need to get one.I meant to do it on February this year but I have no time to study and can't concentrate as I got 2 little children.So I applied for FLRM instead and been granted.My husband wants me to take an exam next month but I am not prepared and feel pressured if I think of LIUK test.I live in London and you mentioned that your wife is a Filipino and so am I but my English grammar is not good as her especially yours lol .Any help please?Thank you!

em-em,
Well my wife is now very fluent in English & has learned all sorts of strange expressions and slang through working in the local community.

But around 5 years ago, just after she came here, she was very intimidated by the thought of learning all that strange information & by the thought of taking an 'Examination' in the UK.
(She had very little background knowledge about English culture & traditions at that time).

Every day I went to work & I left her studying hard and writing pages & pages of notes all about LITUK.
Finally she confessed she wasn't really able to learn it; she just wanted to show me she was striving so hard.
But it wasn't sticking in her mind as it seemed (to her) to be just a jumble of nonsense.

So we tried a different approach.
We used an old cassette tape recorder and she read out & recorded page after page of stuff from the book onto a tape.
Then she replayed all the tapes over & over during any spare time she had.

In this way she was able to memorise everything.
She took the test & passed first-time with almost 100%.

Maybe that kind of approach will work for you too - worth a try anyway.

Mabuhay!

[em-em]

I'm impressed! I've been in the UK since May 2012 through marriage visa and applied for FLRM after that.LIUK test worries me a lot plus my husband's company is going to close after Christmas so I don't want anyone to take my family away from me especially my children coz they're always looking for an excuse to fail the application in terms of financial.Lucky her! Thanks for your reply mate and have a nice day!

[Marii]

I am sorry to intervene in the conversation. em-em, your knowledge of english grammar doesn't matter for your life in Uk test. If you only can read and understand what you read, this would be enough. And I am sure you can, if you could write english. To pass the test you should make time to study the book, in which ever way is better for you. In my experience, I read the book and did sample tests on computer. It will not come without any effort. English culture & traditions knowledge doesn't help. My english husband tried some of my sample computer test when I studied, and almost failed it.
P.S. I took old Life in UK test.

[LiaDoe]

Update ,
Finally, after months of hassle I have received my first British passport on my current surname and still holding a foreign passport on my previous name .
My previous name has been added on observation page : "The holder also holds (country) passport in the name ...... ".
I suggested to HMPO to issue me a British passport with indicating my previous surname on the observation page. Next day I received a letter from HMPO : " ....HMPO will under the circumstances now issue your passport with an observation showing you also hold a ...... passport in another Identity."
Passport was received today.

Thanks guys for your advice. It's been really useful.
Best of luck to all.

Another encouraging sign of common sense being applied by HMPO for someone (German) with two names & no way to change one:

...going through a similar issue. I have dual nationality and German law doesn't recognise voluntary deed poll name changes so I can't update my name on my German passport. HMPO sent the standard template reply regarding this and before reading this site, I emailed back suggesting the (rather simple!) solution of adding my previous name as an observation

Update on the above comment: HMPO resolved my issue without too much hassle. Nicely surprised. My situation might be different though as I already have 6 years' evidence that I use (only) my legal name and I also asked my local MP to contact them

See https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ ... ment-62763

[noajthan]

Update ,
Finally, after months of hassle I have received my first British passport on my current surname and still holding a foreign passport on my previous name .
My previous name has been added on observation page : "The holder also holds (country) passport in the name ...... ".
I suggested to HMPO to issue me a British passport with indicating my previous surname on the observation page. Next day I received a letter from HMPO : " ....HMPO will under the circumstances now issue your passport with an observation showing you also hold a ...... passport in another Identity."
Passport was received today.

Thanks guys for your advice. It's been really useful.
Best of luck to all.

Great news, very pleased for you.

Glad to hear of an outbreak of common sense within HMPO (especially after you were initially refused).

[Antsmall]

Some time ago I contacted some people who had access to the relevant ministers in the Lords and Commons and conveyed to them my suggestion about adding an observation with the previous name in the British passport in cases where the foreign citizenship doesn't allow name changes. They told me, though the secretary of one of the ministers, that the minister in question considered my request reasonable and had requested that the passport regulations be amended in this manner and that the passport office be issued with "refresher guidance" to this effect (which sounded like good news). I wrote back at the time obviously thanking them profusely and asking for an update when the policy was amended, and if applicable, some kind of link to the new policy page, so that I could let others know, but I heard nothing back (partially because my main contact was going on holiday). I was therefore waiting to say anything here, wishing for some sort of concrete assurance from the minister's office either directly or through my main contact rather than getting people's hopes up in vain by vaguely mentioning some assurances I'd received only to let them down when nothing actually happened. However, it's possible that this policy change isn't on any documentation that is publicly visible OR that the people who update websites etc (who are not the same people in the minister's office etc) are taking a long time about it as they often do, and therefore there isn't any link that we can see showing the change. It may be that they've more or less been given this 'refresher guidance' unofficially or through a circular that isn't publicly accessible or something. In any case, I wonder if this new 'outbreak of common sense' has anything to do with the 'refresher guidance', possibly privately conveyed, which the minister's office told me about. Let's hope that this new behavioural pattern is due to some clear directive and policy change rather than just the whim of some passport officers but not others, ensuring that all people who have this problem can have their desired name on their passports.

[habibi75]

Hi Everyone. Need help i am having the same problem my britishcitizenship certicate is my married name and my foreig passport in my maiden name . I call to my embassy (and venezuelan national dont change their name by marriege. In fact they put your name+father name+ add husband name. The passport office told me i have to change my name in my venezuelan passport which indeed means i will have my passport with a completly diferent name again.what i do? Please!

[noajthan]

Hi Everyone. Need help i am having the same problem my britishcitizenship certicate is my married name and my foreig passport in my maiden name . I call to my embassy (and venezuelan national dont change their name by marriege. In fact they put your name+father name+ add husband name. The passport office told me i have to change my name in my venezuelan passport which indeed means i will have my passport with a completly diferent name again.what i do? Please!

If you intend to keep your dual nationality it means you have to attempt to change your original passport (as UK 'expects').
Do this all in writing so you have a papertrail.

If Venezuela has their own rules about names & passports I presume you have to follow them.
Make sure you have every step of the way documented.
So you will either end up with an updated Venezuela passport or some sort of refusal letter from Venezuela authorities.

Contact HMPO (again in writing) and present your evidence from the Venezuela authorities.
If you could not change your Venezuela passport as UK requires then explain it all in writing.
Ask for an observation to be added to British passport detailing your other (Venezuela) legal name.
If HMPO agrees you could then continue to use your married name in UK.
There have been a few recent successes using this approach, as detailed in recent posts above.

The other option may be that UK requires you to revert to using your Venezuela name for all activity in the UK (instead of the name you were naturalised in).
(The point is HMPO don't like multiple passports in multiple names).
Again dealing with them in writing will help determine this.

It will take time, demand more patience, but you should end up with a British passport in the end.
Good luck.

[habibi75]

Thank you for your reply, This forum is amazing and agreat community for people like me with very little knowlege

[noajthan]

Thank you for your reply, This forum is amazing and agreat community for people like me with very little knowlege

You can see members such as hellonowhere & LiaDoe (in previous posts above) were eventually successful having British passports issued with observations added.
They found themselves in situations similar to yours where the new UK requirements are fundamentally incompatible with the other country's laws & practices.

You just have to go through the process & gather your evidence of this to present to HMPO.

If you can post how you get on in the end it will add Venezuela to the 'knowledgebase'.

[habibi75]

Hi I went to the MP office today to request in writting the reason for no issue the passport so he contacted them today. Because I called a couple of time and they were no nice at all .except the people in liverpool that give me options. But i have to wait as you told me a refusal letter from HMPO.

[Antsmall]

My Freedom of Information request, which I made on the 15th of April, STILL hasn't been answered, which is illegal since by law they were supposed to have answered long ago. That goes to show just how diligent and hard-working they are.

However, some of the comments indicate that people are managing to obtain flexibility through the route that I suggested, inter alia, in that FOI request, namely the observation in the passport stating 'holder is also known as [maiden name]'.

You can see my FOI request and the comments here:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ ... oose_h/new

[noajthan]

Some time ago I contacted some people who had access to the relevant ministers in the Lords and Commons and conveyed to them my suggestion about adding an observation with the previous name in the British passport in cases where the foreign citizenship doesn't allow name changes. They told me, though the secretary of one of the ministers, that the minister in question considered my request reasonable and had requested that the passport regulations be amended in this manner and that the passport office be issued with "refresher guidance" to this effect (which sounded like good news).

...

I wonder if this new 'outbreak of common sense' has anything to do with the 'refresher guidance', possibly privately conveyed, which the minister's office told me about. Let's hope that this new behavioural pattern is due to some clear directive and policy change rather than just the whim of some passport officers but not others, ensuring that all people who have this problem can have their desired name on their passports.

In the grand old, time-honoured British tradition of "not what you know but who you know".

But good for you, big-hearted Antsmall;
if this was the catalyst it's certainly improved the situation for some people at least.

[Antsmall]

Thanks! Well, it's depressing if 'contacts' are the only way to get things done in a democracy. However, these were in fact people I'd cold-contacted in the course of my previous mission, which was the fight for section 65 of the Immigration Act 2014, which inaugurated citizenship through form UKF, namely citizenship by descent through fathers who didn't have a civil marriage. (My parents only had a church marriage and then my mother kicked out my British father while they were sorting out the paperwork for a civil one, so my country saw fit to brand me as a despicable 'b@stard' all my life, denying me the citizenship of my own father. I spent years fighting for this legal reform). Ironically, AFTER that reform passed, I discovered that one of the major players was a distant relative. But they hadn't known it either.

It's quite icky though that they still haven't answered my FOI request after so many months. Come on people.

I hope that the change is stable and explicit, and I'll post an update if my 'contacts' give me information about some explicit policy change!

[Antsmall]

Hmm. Well this document, which appeared in September,
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... _09.15.PDF
says on page 4 (section 2: who is the passport for), right column, fourth bullet point:

"You should check the requirements for the country you are in for when and how a name can be changed as this may not meet UK requirements. If you live in such a country, HM Passport Office will issue your passport in the new name with an observation to say that the holder is also known by their original name".

Could that be the 'refresher guidance' that the ministers were talking about following my requests regarding such a note in the passport when a person's foreign passport cannot be changed? But it doesn't explicitly talk about a foreign passport. Who knows.

The page which contains it
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... s-guidance
does say that it was updated on 21 September 2015. Could that be the good news we were awaiting? I really can't tell whether it is or whether some stubborn passport official can still say 'gnaah, technically it doesn't mention a foreign passport, gnaah'.

Any thoughts?