Mistake When Planning First Overseas Holiday

QrizB

user1977 said:

There is of course no reason why she can't get (and retain) a passport in her current name.

I'm pretty sure that when we went on honeymoon (decades ago) Mrs QrizB travelled as Miss BrizQ under her family name and she only changed records after we got back home.

If you're travelling to one of the benighted parts of the world (like Plymouth) where they don't allow unmarried folk to share a room, see if you can take your marriage certificate as proof that you're not sinning.

la531983

QrizB said:

user1977 said:

There is of course no reason why she can't get (and retain) a passport in her current name.

I'm pretty sure that when we went on honeymoon (decades ago) Mrs QrizB travelled as Miss BrizQ under her family name and she only changed records after we got back home.

This. We got married abroad, missus travelled in maiden name, didnt update passport for another 4 months.

As long as the airline and passport names marry (no pun intended) up, nobody cares.

twopenny

Ok so I asked some friends and this should make it clearer.

First the name should match the tickets. Essential.
You can change the name on the tickets or the passport. Both will cost money. Check which is less.

https://www.gov.uk/changing-passport-information/name-marriage-and-civil-partnership

She can travel under her single name  and change it later.

If you want to apply under married name then the application needs to be witnessed by vicar, registrar or whoever is conducting the ceremony as in the link.

Insurance, yes I used to use Staysure a long time ago. It seemed the most straightforward. 
So many available now but it means reading all the terms and conditions.
I dealt with the fact they make you go cross-eyed by selecting 3 companies, printing the t&c and highlighting the essential bits for comparison when my head got straight again.
Kept those for future holidays so I only had to check any changes and prices thereafter.

Always check what they cover and what to do in an emergency. Keep a note of the number as you travel.

And check they have a 24hr emergency number. 
My credit card was blocked before flight and it was a 9-5 number so I was scuppered.
Keep 2 credit cards, one hidden for emergencies. Don't keep it all on a phone. Anything happens to that and you're done for 🙂

LightFlare

I would leave it in her maiden name.

As @Grumpy_chap says - she won’t be able to have a passport in her married name untill after the wedding and 4 weeks may be a bit tight (or cause unecessary stress and worry)

Ch1ll1Phlakes

Hi everyone. Thanks very much for your help and suggestions. I have managed to change the name on the booking to my fiancée's married name so will be applying for a passport in that name.

I know a lot of people have suggested that applying after the wedding mightn't leave enough time but I am hoping to do this in advance. I don't know if this is a recent thing or not as neither of us have travelled before and my fiancée has never had a passport. Applying up to three months in advance seems to be the simplest way for us to do this and the minister has already agreed to complete these forms at the same time as the wedding documents. For anyone interested, here's a screenshot of the gov page on this and a link to the page (Change your name or personal details on your passport: Marriage or civil partnership change - GOV.UK). 



EDIT: Didn't realise @twopenny that you had already provided the link to what I was seeing. Thanks again.

Ch1ll1Phlakes

user1977 said:

There is of course no reason why she can't get (and retain) a passport in her current name. The only issues would be when it's being cross-referenced with something else. She could have a driving licence in a different name if she wanted alternative ID for non-travel purposes. 

QrizB said:

user1977 said:

There is of course no reason why she can't get (and retain) a passport in her current name.

I'm pretty sure that when we went on honeymoon (decades ago) Mrs QrizB travelled as Miss BrizQ under her family name and she only changed records after we got back home.

If you're travelling to one of the benighted parts of the world (like Plymouth) where they don't allow unmarried folk to share a room, see if you can take your marriage certificate as proof that you're not sinning.

la531983 said:

QrizB said:

user1977 said:

There is of course no reason why she can't get (and retain) a passport in her current name.

I'm pretty sure that when we went on honeymoon (decades ago) Mrs QrizB travelled as Miss BrizQ under her family name and she only changed records after we got back home.

This. We got married abroad, missus travelled in maiden name, didnt update passport for another 4 months.

As long as the airline and passport names marry (no pun intended) up, nobody cares.

LightFlare said:

I would leave it in her maiden name.

As @Grumpy_chap says - she won’t be able to have a passport in her married name untill after the wedding and 4 weeks may be a bit tight (or cause unecessary stress and worry)

We did contemplate this but as she's never had a passport and this would be a new one not far in advance of our wedding it would last for 10 years in her maiden name. We really don't see the point in paying for the passport in her maiden name and then paying again a few months later to replace it in her married name. Would be an extra ~£100 for a simple name change after having the passport for 4-5 months.

Ch1ll1Phlakes

Grumpy_chap said:

Ch1ll1Phlakes said:

Roughly 4 months till wedding, and four weeks from wedding to honeymoon. 

Have you checked the timelines for a passport application to be processed (including consideration that the timeline may change between now March)? 
Will you need to consider the accelerated passport service if the application in her married name can only be made after the Wedding?

It might be worth checking the full rules on passports when getting married.
IIRC, when we got married, we travelled for Honeymoon on our separate passports (maiden name) as my wife could not apply for a passport in her married name until the Wedding.
However, again IIRC, my Brother's wife had a passport in advance but it was sent to the Vicar for safekeeping to hand over only once the Wedding was properly completed and register signed.

Yes timeline for applications at the moment is around three weeks.

With the apply in advance method I mentioned above, our minister will complete his part of the forms well before the wedding so that we should have a forward dated passport for my fiancée in advance of both our wedding and honeymoon.

I'm thinking this must be a recent change as I'd never heard anyone mention it before as an option. I did see a Facebook group discussing this method recently so I'll see if I can find the screenshot of their discussion on how this would work incase it's of interest to anyone else.

user1977

Ch1ll1Phlakes said:

user1977 said:

There is of course no reason why she can't get (and retain) a passport in her current name. The only issues would be when it's being cross-referenced with something else. She could have a driving licence in a different name if she wanted alternative ID for non-travel purposes. 

QrizB said:

user1977 said:

There is of course no reason why she can't get (and retain) a passport in her current name.

I'm pretty sure that when we went on honeymoon (decades ago) Mrs QrizB travelled as Miss BrizQ under her family name and she only changed records after we got back home.

If you're travelling to one of the benighted parts of the world (like Plymouth) where they don't allow unmarried folk to share a room, see if you can take your marriage certificate as proof that you're not sinning.

la531983 said:

QrizB said:

user1977 said:

There is of course no reason why she can't get (and retain) a passport in her current name.

I'm pretty sure that when we went on honeymoon (decades ago) Mrs QrizB travelled as Miss BrizQ under her family name and she only changed records after we got back home.

This. We got married abroad, missus travelled in maiden name, didnt update passport for another 4 months.

As long as the airline and passport names marry (no pun intended) up, nobody cares.

LightFlare said:

I would leave it in her maiden name.

As @Grumpy_chap says - she won’t be able to have a passport in her married name untill after the wedding and 4 weeks may be a bit tight (or cause unecessary stress and worry)

We really don't see the point in paying for the passport in her maiden name and then paying again a few months later to replace it in her married name. 

Neither do I, which was why I was suggesting she just keeps it in her maiden name.

nameswitch_advisor

I echo the advice given above on having everything joining up (insurance, GHIC etc). I also agree that there is no point paying full price for a new passport in maiden name and waiting up to 10 years to change it again (or pay again if you want to sooner).

If you plan to hire a car you should also update the name on drivers licence as soon as your marriage certificate arrives as it normally takes 3 weeks for the licence to be returned. This will be very tight and not guaranteed.

The extra complication/consideration is the actual marriage certificate - this is posted to you after the ceremony and the timing will depend on the efficiency & backlog of your local registry office. You mention 4 months till wedding and then 4 weeks after that till honeymoon. Spring is low season so all being well you should receive the marriage certificate within 1 week. 

Now for the passport this is a little trickier. Normally, I would recommend using a PD2 form to receive a post dated passport in new name (this can be applied for up to 3 months before the wedding). Unfortunately it's not possible to use a PD2 form for a first passport.

I'd also recommend going for the fast track or 1 week service but I don't believe they are available for a first adult passport. New passports can take around 3 weeks but they may take longer so it really is too risky and not worth the stress and worry at a time when you will be full of excitement. 

My advice is to get ahead of the game and change name via deed poll and not via marriage certificate. Use the deed poll first to update drivers licence, and in a few key places such as electoral register, utilities etc. Then, apply for a new passport - All of this can be done in advance of the wedding. 

Assuming you have already given notice, your partners maiden name will appear on the marriage certificate and will be read out during the ceremony. You can change name across all profiles before or part after the ceremony that is up to you (it's normal to have a transition period in between names). I would update the drivers licence first though as HM Passport will need to see the linkage to new name vs birth certificate (this will be deed poll + drivers licence and possibly one other proof of use such as electoral register or a utility bill). 

Gosh that is a lot of info to absorb, feel free to come back with any questions and I will answer if I can!

twopenny

As long as one of you doesn't say 'no' at the ceremony 😲
That would be a whole new ballgame - but at least hers alone!