Change name on driving licence

Mintyrose

I’m looking at adding my maiden name back onto my married name after many years, I will need to change my driving licence, when it asks for evidence ie birth certificate and National Insurance Number card, my NI card is in my current name do I have to change that first before I can apply for new driving licence? It’s all very confusing, it will be changed by unregistered deed poll , thanks 

eskbanker

If it would be a hassle to change the NI card, could you just use one of the other acceptable documents (which are all specified for those without a UK passport, the easiest option)?

You can use a UK birth, adoption or naturalisation certificate, but you must send it with one of the following:

• National Insurance card, or a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenue and Customs showing your National Insurance number - find your National Insurance number if you’ve lost it
• photocopy of the front page of a benefits book or an original benefits claim letter
• P45, P60 or pay slip
• your marriage or civil partnership certificate
• your divorce or end of civil partnership document (decree nisi, decree absolute, conditional order or final order)
• a gender recognition certificate
• college or university union card, education certificate or PASS proof of age card (issued after June 2014)

https://www.gov.uk/id-for-driving-licence (linked from https://www.gov.uk/change-name-driving-licence )

Browntoa

It's technically an identity document these days 

You need to change the other required documents first

Mintyrose

eskbanker said:

If it would be a hassle to change the NI card, could you just use one of the other acceptable documents (which are all specified for those without a UK passport, the easiest option)?

You can use a UK birth, adoption or naturalisation certificate, but you must send it with one of the following:

• National Insurance card, or a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenue and Customs showing your National Insurance number - find your National Insurance number if you’ve lost it
• photocopy of the front page of a benefits book or an original benefits claim letter
• P45, P60 or pay slip
• your marriage or civil partnership certificate
• your divorce or end of civil partnership document (decree nisi, decree absolute, conditional order or final order)
• a gender recognition certificate
• college or university union card, education certificate or PASS proof of age card (issued after June 2014)

https://www.gov.uk/id-for-driving-licence (linked from https://www.gov.uk/change-name-driving-licence )

Thanks Eskbanker, why I’m confused is my married name is on all of those, so would I have to change them before I could use any of them? Oh but obviously I could use marriage certificate even though changing name?  As it’s practically just changing ti include my maiden name 

Mintyrose

Browntoa said:

It's technically an identity document these days 

You need to change the other required documents first

Thank you, quite a process isn’t it 

chrisw

If you are changing your name by unregistered or unenrolled deed poll you still need to make a sworn legal statement signed by witnesses. Most government bodies including DVLA will accept this document.

https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll/make-an-adult-deed-poll

https://www.ukdeedpolloffice.org/unenrolled-deed-poll-faq-everything-you-need-to-know/

Mintyrose

chrisw said:

If you are changing your name by unregistered or unenrolled deed poll you still need to make a sworn legal statement signed by witnesses. Most government bodies including DVLA will accept this document.

https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll/make-an-adult-deed-poll

https://www.ukdeedpolloffice.org/unenrolled-deed-poll-faq-everything-you-need-to-know/

Thank you 🙏 I’ve downloaded a form for that, it doesn’t have to be done with a solicitor dies it? 

Browntoa

It just says "2 independent witnesses" 

So someone who doesn't live at the same address etc 

Solicitor not required 

Okell

Mintyrose said:

I’m looking at adding my maiden name back onto my married name after many years, I will need to change my driving licence, ...

Do you mind my asking if it's really necessary for you to go through all the faff of formally changing your name?

Of course you may have very good reasons for wanting to do so, but my wife is a solicitor and she routinely uses either her maiden or married name for different purposes, although for formal identification purposes she retains her maiden name.  I believe it's quite common for women in professional occupations to do this as they don't want the hassle of changing their names for professional registrations etc and because they will already have built up a reputation under their maiden name.

Did you do anything to formally change your name when you married or did you just start using your husband's name?

A marriage certificate is evidence that you are married, not evidnece that you've changed your name.

So long as you can still be formally identified under one name for legal purposes, you can call yourself what you want in day to day life.

Mintyrose

Okell said:

Mintyrose said:

I’m looking at adding my maiden name back onto my married name after many years, I will need to change my driving licence, ...

Do you mind my asking if it's really necessary for you to go through all the faff of formally changing your name?

Of course you may have very good reasons for wanting to do so, but my wife is a solicitor and she routinely uses either her maiden or married name for different purposes, although for formal identification purposes she retains her maiden name.  I believe it's quite common for women in professional occupations to do this as they don't want the hassle of changing their names for professional registrations etc and because they will already have built up a reputation under their maiden name.

Did you do anything to formally change your name when you married or did you just start using your husband's name?

A marriage certificate is evidence that you are married, not evidnece that you've changed your name.

So long as you can still be formally identified under one name for legal purposes, you can call yourself what you want in day to day life.

Oh thank you! I wasn’t aware of that~ I just started using husbands name after getti
g married, was the done thing back then 😂 been married 34 years but my family name is dying and I just wanted to incorporate it 😃 also with grandchildren imminent I don’t want to be known as nana(current surname) as the original nana surname was a terrible person and as my mum never got the chance to be nana(my maiden surname) to my children, it would be nice to be able to use it, all very complicated really, and more for my mental health than anything, husband thinks I’m a traitor now, and probably won’t even happen, but thanks to everyone I have the info now, thanks 

Okell

Mintyrose said:

Okell said:

Mintyrose said:

I’m looking at adding my maiden name back onto my married name after many years, I will need to change my driving licence, ...

Do you mind my asking if it's really necessary for you to go through all the faff of formally changing your name?

Of course you may have very good reasons for wanting to do so, but my wife is a solicitor and she routinely uses either her maiden or married name for different purposes, although for formal identification purposes she retains her maiden name.  I believe it's quite common for women in professional occupations to do this as they don't want the hassle of changing their names for professional registrations etc and because they will already have built up a reputation under their maiden name.

Did you do anything to formally change your name when you married or did you just start using your husband's name?

A marriage certificate is evidence that you are married, not evidnece that you've changed your name.

So long as you can still be formally identified under one name for legal purposes, you can call yourself what you want in day to day life.

Oh thank you! I wasn’t aware of that~ I just started using husbands name after getti
g married, was the done thing back then 😂 been married 34 years but my family name is dying and I just wanted to incorporate it 😃 also with grandchildren imminent I don’t want to be known as nana(current surname) as the original nana surname was a terrible person and as my mum never got the chance to be nana(my maiden surname) to my children, it would be nice to be able to use it, all very complicated really, and more for my mental health than anything, husband thinks I’m a traitor now, and probably won’t even happen, but thanks to everyone I have the info now, thanks 

If your maiden name was Susan Smith but you've been known by your married name of Susan Jones for the last 34 years, there's nothing to stop you being known as Nana Smith to your grandchildren.  In fact I'd have thought it was quite common for this to be done so that young grandchildren can more easily distinguish one nana from the other. 

As far as I know there's nothing to stop you informally calling yourself Susan Smith-Jones, or Susan Jones-Smith or even reverting to your maiden name.

What you need to remember though, is that for all formal and legal purposes your family name is whatever your passport and driving licence say it is.  But you don't need to change your passport or driving licence for your grandkids to call you Nana Smith rather than Nana Jones.  

So you wouldn't be able to open a bank account as Susan Smith or buy plane tickets under that name.  (My wife made the mistake of booking plane tickets under her "wrong" name rather than the one on her passport and had to pay to get it corrected)

Incidentally, a male colleague at work changed his name when he got married because his wife's family name would have died out with her.  Whether he needed to go through formal legal steps to do that, I don't know.  As you say, when you got married you simply adopted your husband's name.  You didn't do it by deed poll, you just did it.  Whether a husband can equally easily adopt this wife's name, I don't know.