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When you need to get your passport changed

If you have a passport and intend to use it before it expires, you should get it amended if certain personal details change. You should get your passport amended if you have:

• changed your name - whether by deed poll or through marriage or civil partnership
• had your UK nationality status changed (ie from a British subject to a British citizen)
• altered in appearance so much that you can't be recognised from the photo in your current passport
• changed gender (through gender reassignment), even if you have not changed your name

When you don't need to get your passport changed

You don't need to get your passport amended or notify the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) if you have:

• changed your address, phone number or email address
• changed your job or employment status
• changed marital status (unless you have changed your name too)
• changed your title
• acquired nationality of another country as well as your British nationality
• emigrated

If you have changed your name or are about to

If you recently changed your name or plan to do so in the near future, you'll have to change the name on your passport. If you don't, you may be unable to travel abroad.

When you apply to change your name, your current passport will be cancelled and a new standard ten-year passport issued. IPS will credit your passport with extra time (up to a maximum of nine months) to cover any time left on your old passport.

What happens if your child is included on your passport?

If you have a child on your current passport, they cannot be included on your new passport because of changes to passport rules. You will need to apply for a child passport on their behalf.

Follow the link below on applying for a child passport.

• Who can apply for a child passport and when

Changing your child's name on their passport

If you wish to change your child's name on their passport or yours, you should call the Passport Adviceline on 0300 222 0000 for help.

Changing your name when marrying or forming a civil partnership

You should think carefully about whether to change the name on your passport before the ceremony or wait until you've returned from a foreign trip.

This is because the name on your passport should match the name in which you booked your travel. If the name on your passport does not match the booking:

• some countries may not let you in
• some travel companies may not let you board their flights

This may be the case even if you carry your marriage or civil partnership certificate with you. You should check with your travel agent or the consulate of the country you plan to visit.

IPS can change the name on your passport up to three months before the ceremony. They will cancel your old passport and issue you a new one. But the new passport is 'postdated'. This means you cannot use it before the day of the ceremony. Some countries will not issue visas for postdated passports. You should check with the consulate of the country concerned.

• Find foreign consulates and embassies in the UK Opens new window

If you decide to amend your passport before the ceremony

To amend your passport before the ceremony, you need form (PD2) and leaflet (PD1) 'Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners'. These documents explain what you need to do - you can get them:

• by downloading them as PDF files
• from Post Office branches that offer the Check & Send service
• from any IPS Customer Service Centre
• by calling the IPS Passport Adviceline 0300 222 0000 to get them sent out to you

The form should be completed partly by you and partly by the person who is to conduct the ceremony. The leaflet explains this in more detail.

• Download 'PD1 - Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners' leaflet (PDF, 141K) Opens new window

• Download 'PD2 - Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners' form (PDF, 110K) Opens new window

• Help with PDF files

• Find your nearest Check & Send Post Office (choose 'passport checking service' from the dropdown list) Opens new window

If you decide to amend your passport after the ceremony

If you want to amend your passport after your wedding or civil partnership, you only need to complete the standard passport application form. You will also need to send your marriage or civil partnership certificate to IPS.

• Order a marriage certificate (government, citizens and rights section)

• Order a civil partnership certificate (government, citizens and rights section)

The Civil Partnership Act - changing your name on your passport

The Act came into force on 5 December 2005. It allows adults of the same sex to enter into a legally binding civil partnership. IPS accepts civil partnership certificates to show a change of name.

• Detailed information about registering marriages and civil partnerships (government, citizens and rights section)

How a name change affects visas in your passport

When you apply to amend your passport, IPS cancels your current passport and issues you a new one. This means that any visas in your current passport may become invalid. You should ask the consulate that issued the visa whether you can use an unexpired visa in a cancelled passport. If not, you will have to reapply for the visa for your new passport.

Next steps - changing the name on your passport

To get an application form, check the fee and find out what supporting documents you need to provide, follow the link below.

• The application form, fee and supporting documents for a passport name change

Useful contacts

• Foreign Office Travel Advice

• Identity and Passport Service (IPS)