name change

sylvey1

hi, could anyone please tell me something?
i have bean divorced for over 12 yrs now...i have always kept my married name as i had 2 young children at the time, but now they have lives of there own and familys of there own, i was thinking about going back to my maiden name!!! can anyone tell me do i have to get it done legal or can i just go back to my maiden name?
thank you to anyone that can advise.
sylvey

J_P_S

to change your name by deed poll is afaik only £20 and you need a witness and a solicitor ( that may have changed) so i guess its as easy as that?

Amanda65

Hi - although no expert I believe that in general you can call yourself whatever you want to as long as it's not for fraudulent purposes. If you want to do it legally I would type 'chaning name by deed poll' into google and seeing what comes up. A friend of mine changed her family surname form something rather rude to a more normal spelling and it was all done over the internet and just meant then sending the documents to the passport agency, DLVA, bank etc.

burbs_2

http://www.ukdps.co.uk/

We have used this in the past and it stood up in court so they are official.

Penny-Pincher!!

You can change your name to whatever you wish as long as its not for fraudalent purposes.

PP
xx

Lillibet_2

I just switched back to my maiden name (immediately) after my divorce, sent a copy of the divorce certificate thingy when I applied for new passport, driving license etc but it was never actually requested I just did it with a note saying I had reverted follwing my divorce, no problems so far.

HTH

BJC_2

I agree with Lillibet, when you need to change/renew a legal document just send off your divorce p/work. For everyday use, you can change your name by "usage". This is where you become known by a name of your choice (a bit like using a nickname). Changing your name by deed pole is a formality.

fiobee

From a book I'm reading just now (Collins Gem "Weddings" ISBN 0007145047): "UK law allows a person to use any name they choose - as long as it is either their birth name, the name adopted on marriage or a name changed by deed poll." So I would guess you can just go back to your maiden name whenever you like.

Bossyboots

How old is that book?

You do not need any document to change your name, you just do it. What you will need though is a document evidencing the change and you simply need a statutory declaration (a free model for which is freely available on the internet) which you take to a solicitor to have witnessed. The only reason you would need this is for organisations who are not prepared to simply take your word for it that the name you are using is actually you. The fundamental rule on name changing is that you cannot do it if the intention is to deceive.

For someone who has divorced, production of the decree absolute is sufficient documentation to establish the change of name back to maiden name although I have heard that not all of the banks accept just that as evidence anymore. Legally though, this is all you need.

Luis

When I got divorced, I did the same as other posters have mentioned - merely sent off all the docs (passport, licence etc) with a copy of the absolute saying I was reverting to my maiden name. This was in 2004, no problems anywhere. As my solicitor explained it to me, if your maiden name was Smith, then you married and became Jones - you have always been Smith 'underneath'!

margaretclare

Hi

CAB will do a statutory declaration for you and all they ask for is a 'voluntary donation'.

There has NEVER been a legal requirement in England for a woman to take her husband's surname on marriage - it's just 'custom and practice'. And, as others have said, you can call yourself anything you like provided there's no intent to defraud or e.g. pretend to be heir to a title or something like that.

Aunty Margaret