Legalities After Wedding

Lizzieb151

Hello peeps,

After a bit of advice really - what things need to be changed legally after a marriage? Who do I need to advise?

Also we have 3 children, my eldest being from another relationship and he wants to take my current partners surname name - has anybody dealt with this before?

Thanks in advance

Sammy85_2

You dont have to change anything after you marry unless you want to take your husbands surname.

If you decide to change surname then you should try and change everything to keep things simple. Its not illegal to not to change everything though, unless you're using two different names for illegal purposes. (so you could continue to use an old passport rather than pay for another for example - just make sure you book the holiday in the same name as the passport)

Banks, Credit Cards & ID's like driving licence are the main ones. Insurance policies too and dont forget to inform DVLA for things like your car logbook if you have changed your driving licence. I did those ones and then changed other things as letters arrived in the post in my maiden name.

ampafc

An interesting question - one I haven't really thought about.

What do you do about the honeymoon? I.e. do you just book in your partner's name as it is, and just change it when you get back?

Sammy85_2

Your partner can change their passport to their married name before the wedding. Go to the postoffice and request the form, this is then completed by the vicar/registrar confirming the wedding will take place on the given date. Send this form along with the usual passport forms. The new passport is then issued in the married name BUT is only valid from the day of the wedding, so dont do this if you wish to travel before the wedding! It costs the same as a new passport (£77 ish i think)

You can go on your honeymoon in your maiden name too, just make sure the name on the booking matches the name on the passport.

I changed my passport 3 weeks before the wedding, i would advise doing it at least a month before unless you want to be panicing like i was! Didnt need to change it as i had 6 years left on my passport, but i wanted to go on honeymoon in my married name. :-)

sammy_wheeler

if you change your name on your passport you only get the years you have left on it remember- so if your passport runs out in 2012- then your passport with married name on it will still run out in 2012

i kept my name- took my name- so he has changed his bank, work- all with marriage certificate- but not as his passport- so when we go on holiday we have to book in his name before we got married- as this is fine-- so we booked our honeymoon under our names before we got married


if you choose not to take your husbands name and you are just changing your title from Miss to Mrs then i just told the same ppl-- bank, work, driving licence-- i wanted things in mrs coz its exciting hehe
they just needed copies/photocopy of marriage certificate
also with your children- im not 100%sure- how old is your eldest?- are you still in touch with eldest dad?- i assume he has PR (Parental responsibilty)

Sammy85_2

sammy_wheeler wrote: »

if you change your name on your passport you only get the years you have left on it remember- so if your passport runs out in 2012- then your passport with married name on it will still run out in 2012

Not true. My new married name passport is a full 10 year passport. Plus 9 months extra, which is the maximum they give you credited from your old passport (to encourage people to renew before it expires rather than waiting)

sammy_wheeler

ohh thats very interesting theres hundrerds of times i have seen that on here- about not getting full amount of time. maybe someone else can clarify?

Sammy85_2

The things you see on here is that people dont want to get a new passport when they still have time left on the old one. They only credit a maximum 9 months from the old one if you get a new passport, so any time left on the on the old one above that are lost, which you have paid for already, so its not very MSE to get a new passport. The MSE thing to do is to continue using the old one until you get to 9 months from its expiry then get a new one in married name.

trying_2_b_good

My OH wanted to change his name to his new Dad's when his Mum remarried. They changed it at school easily (class registers etc - just told them that's what they wanted). Not sure about passport or banks. They wanted to legally adopt him, but needed his birth's dad's permission - who wouldn't do it. In the end he waited until he was 18 and then changed it by deed poll.

bubbles0169

i nearly had a heart attack then! ive booked the honeymoon in my married name as my passport runs out the day we fly home so i will be changing the name on it to be valid, i thought from what you were saying then it would only be live for a couple of weeks and id then have to buy a new one again as it had expired!

TC1978

So far I've only got around to informing DVLA. I called the insurance company as that was due for renewal and asked them to change my name- bloke on the end of the line told me I should have done it already... what am I supposed to do? Walk out of church and give them a call? Only been married 3 weeks and 2 1/2 have been on honeymoon!!
Need to do the bank stuff soon, but waiting until paid and money from our accounts have gone into the joint one! There's such a lot to do!!