British Passport Application Gridlock: Surname Issue

[bberlinn]

On 16 May 2016, I applied for my first adult British passport in my correct surname, which is BRAD. Accompanying my application was a cover letter explaining why my foreign passport, which has since expired, carries an incorrect surname* (BRADLEY).

In my application form, my name is Bernice Bradley Brad. I enclosed my birth certificate, British naturalisation certificate, Barclays bank statement, council tax statement, and water bill bearing my correct surname as BRAD.

On three occasions within the last four weeks, HMPO officers rang me asking I should:
1. Bring a letter from the birth country embassy declaring I’m no longer a citizen of that country.
2. Get a new from my birth country bearing my surname as BRAD.

On all occasions, I told them I cannot get the letter or a new birth country passport bearing BRAD as my surname, and that my request would be refused as was the case in March 2016 I am now considered a foreigner (i.e. British national).

I was surprised by the aforementioned requests as my cover letter that accompanied my application stated that I attempted to apply for a new passport of my birth country in March 2016. I was told as a British citizen I am ineligible to apply for it. Constitutionally my birth country does not recognise dual nationality. Once I became a British citizen, I automatically lost my birth country nationality, and the rights that comes with it.

I mentioned in my cover letter, even a request to my birth country embassy to authenticate my names and to acknowledge an administrative error was made in my surname on my foreign passport, was refused on the grounds that I am no longer a citizen of my birth country.

Last evening I received a call from an HMPO officer advising I need to apply for a new passport of my birth country bearing my surname as BRAD.

How can I get my birth country passport when by virtue of my British citizenship I am not eligible to apply for one? How can I get my birth country passport when my birth country no longer recognises me as a citizen? How can I travel without a British passport? Even my birth country passport, which is now with the HMPO has since expired. Those are the questions I posed to HMPO rep who rang me last night. She said her manager will call me to discuss the situation further.

I now find myself in a distressing situation with no solution. Has anyone faced this situation before? How did you solve it?
---------------------
*The cause of the surname error is purely administrative, stemming from two conflicting systems of order of names in English and French Cameroon, my country of birth. In English Cameroon, the region where I was born and birth certificate was issued, the order of my names is Bradley Bernice BRAD while in French Cameroon, the region where my foreign passport was issued, the first name from the left is considered the surname. Hence, the individual who processed my passport application issued me a passport with an incorrect surname. I noticed the error after travelling to the UK for studies in 2001.

[noajthan]

It's a known and recurring issue.
The problem is you are now seen as having two identities.

Similar types of issue have been reported here - with some possible strategies to resolve it:
http://www.immigrationboards.com/britis ... 83170.html

See also forum 'sticky note':
http://www.immigrationboards.com/britis ... 84012.html

Suggest you try to get your now null and void foreign passport officially cancelled.
Also get a letter from embassy confirming it is cancelled.
Present those 2 items with your British passport application.

(My wife faced a name mismatch, had lost her original nationality on naturalising so the embassy wouldn't entertain her, and that approach was an eventual solution - details in link above).

[bberlinn]

Hi Noajthan. Thanks for the advice.

My expired passport is now with the HMPO. Does that mean I should ask the HMPO to return my expired passport? Would that mean I'm withdrawing my application?

[noajthan]

Hi Noajthan. Thanks for the advice.

My expired passport is now with the HMPO. Does that mean I should ask the HMPO to return my expired passport? Would that mean I'm withdrawing my application?

'Expired' is not necessarily 'cancelled' unless the embassy has officially cancelled it.
(Do not just cut the corner off or stamp holes in the cover of it yourself; a member tried that approach and their passport was then classified as damaged - not cancelled).

You will need it back to cancel it via your embassy. Not sure what happens to any application in progress.

Only do this if you're sure your old citizenship has been ended already.
Your aim is to end up with no valid (active) foreign passport whether it is expired or unexpired.

(When my wife did this HMPO insisted on a letter from the embassy as well as sight of the cancelled passport.
You just have to go there and persuade them to do it; we had to spend a day in her embassy to achieve that).

Finally, apply for first British passport in same name as the name on your UK naturalisation certificate = single identity.
HMPO should be happy; you should be happy.