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Hi guys,

I see that many people are having trouble getting a British passport in their married names. I would like to travel in the next few months and since my naturalisation application is still being decided I won't be able to change the name on my U.S. passport first. Is it possible to just apply for the British passport in my maiden name and then change it via marriage certificate next year perhaps or whenever I get around to it? My US passport will be expired by then or does that not matter? Will I always have to change my US passport name first? Thanks!

Hope u will find your answer there
http://www.immigrationboards.com/britis ... 83170.html

ElenaW wrote:Hi guys,

I see that many people are having trouble getting a British passport in their married names. I would like to travel in the next few months and since my naturalisation application is still being decided I won't be able to change the name on my U.S. passport first. Is it possible to just apply for the British passport in my maiden name and then change it via marriage certificate next year perhaps or whenever I get around to it? My US passport will be expired by then or does that not matter? Will I always have to change my US passport name first? Thanks!

Much more on this in the linked post above.
To summarise, HMPO don't want people to have 2 identities (as they see it) & hold travel docs in 2 or more names even though a married woman, (depending on country, laws & culture) is quite likely to have 2 names.

if by the time you apply for a British passsport your US passport has expired then simply get it cancelled too (if US permits that).
Reason: when applying for British passport, all expired passports have to be submitted but cancelled passports do not.
(Otherwise, if the US passport is expired or unexpired but in another name, you may hit the problem even if you apply for a renewal later).

noajthan wrote:

ElenaW wrote:Hi guys,

I see that many people are having trouble getting a British passport in their married names. I would like to travel in the next few months and since my naturalisation application is still being decided I won't be able to change the name on my U.S. passport first. Is it possible to just apply for the British passport in my maiden name and then change it via marriage certificate next year perhaps or whenever I get around to it? My US passport will be expired by then or does that not matter? Will I always have to change my US passport name first? Thanks!

Much more on this in the linked post above.
To summarise, HMPO don't want people to have 2 identities (as they see it) & hold travel docs in 2 or more names even though a married woman, (depending on country, laws & culture) is quite likely to have 2 names.

if by the time you apply for a British passsport your US passport has expired then simply get it cancelled too (if US permits that).
Reason: when applying for British passport, all expired passports have to be submitted but cancelled passports do not.
(Otherwise, if the US passport is expired or unexpired but in another name, you may hit the problem even if you apply for a renewal later).

What exactly does cancelling a passport mean? I think the U.S. Only gives that option if it is lost or stolen. I suppose the best thing to do right now is just leave both in the maiden name. I'm assuming my naturalisation certificate will be in my maiden name too as I'm a post biometric applicant. This is very frustrating!

ElenaW wrote:What exactly does cancelling a passport mean? I think the U.S. Only gives that option if it is lost or stolen. I suppose the best thing to do right now is just leave both in the maiden name. I'm assuming my naturalisation certificate will be in my maiden name too as I'm a post biometric applicant. This is very frustrating!

Yes it is frustrating (& time-consuming).
When we started HMPO even initially denied there was a new identity policy (as well as denying my wife's British passport).

You may find cancelling a passport is not something your embassy will do ordinarily; it wasn't in our case either (via Philippine embassy), it may take some persistence to persuade them.
It should be possible (unless ofcourse it turns out to be against US law), in our case we got there in the end.

AFAIK, no country will cancel a passport (that has not been stolen or lost or without legal / statutory obligations) on a passport holder's request to do so when the passport holder continues to remain a citizen of that country!

noajthan, your wife lost her filipino citizenship when she became a UK citizen! So what worked for her (getting a passport, of the country she was no longer a citizen of, cancelled) doesn't necessarily mean that same course of action will work for those who do not lose their original citizenship upon acquiring British citizenship.

Thanks for your help guys. Do you suggest I get everything in my maiden name to speed up the process, then changing everything after I've traveled?

In order to have your British passport issued in the new name you'll need to have it changed in the US passport first!

Up to you whether you want to get this done before getting your first British passport or later on (after the first British passport has been issued in maiden name).

sushdmehta wrote:AFAIK, no country will cancel a passport (that has not been stolen or lost or without legal / statutory obligations) on a passport holder's request to do so when the passport holder continues to remain a citizen of that country!

noajthan, your wife lost her filipino citizenship when she became a UK citizen! So what worked for her (getting a passport, of the country she was no longer a citizen of, cancelled) doesn't necessarily mean that same course of action will work for those who do not lose their original citizenship upon acquiring British citizenship.

Understood - usual health warnings apply.

This is a largely uncharted area - although we are making progress, step by step.
Clearly the whole identity policy needs a legal challenge sooner or later.

fyi - the UK HO didn't accept my wife had lost her citizenship (a quirk of Philippine law).
The HO legal advice team then got it wrong; they misinterpreted & stated the Philippines Republic Act 'the wrong way' round to state their belief that she hadn't lost her citizenship by naturalising in UK.

Consequently it was HO who insisted the passport was cancelled, believing she was still a Philippine citizen.
They would not accept my correction of their flawed interpretation of R.A. 9225.
So they clearly believed cancelling a passport was a viable option.

I suggest 'canceling passport' as an option to explore; I am not saying it's possible in each country out there (as I do not know).
It took us a few days of stress & a day in the embassy to achieve it, plus some waiting time.
Compared to what some people face - returning to home countries to process long-winded paperwork it's a relatively small price to pay - so I'd say no harn in asking the embassy about cancellation, case by case.

If an embassy/country says no to cancellation then, yes, people will have to absorb the pain & inconvenience, also the cost & delays associated with such name/passport changes, (whether to be done via an embassy or else back in the original country).
As we are hearing this is sometimes not legally possible.
Some people may have to revoke their first citizenship to get round the road block, or else accept a British passport in the 'wrong name' (one not of their free choice).

Perhaps as more legal pain is felt it will help bring on the legal challenges this young & immature identity policy appears to require.

Hi guys,

Is it okay to use a lecturer as a referee? It says that it needs to be a friend, neighbour, colleague etc... I email my lecturer occasionally and graduated over two years ago. I'm just not sure if that's suitable.


Thanks!

ElenaW wrote:Hi guys,

Is it okay to use a lecturer as a referee? It says that it needs to be a friend, neighbour, colleague etc... I email my lecturer occasionally and graduated over two years ago. I'm just not sure if that's suitable.

Thanks!

My wife successfully used a college lecturer (ESOL tutor) as a referee. They were acquaintances rather than close friends.

noajthan wrote:

ElenaW wrote:Hi guys,

Is it okay to use a lecturer as a referee? It says that it needs to be a friend, neighbour, colleague etc... I email my lecturer occasionally and graduated over two years ago. I'm just not sure if that's suitable.

Thanks!

My wife successfully used a college lecturer (ESOL tutor) as a referee. They were acquaintances rather than close friends.

Thank you very much