Passport question

BernadetteN

emweaver wrote: »

We wont be hiring any cars, were going by ferry and then to disneyland

Does anyone know if theres a helpline I can ring ? I dont want to spend £500 on a short break only not to be allowed in the country lol

You can ring the French Embassy in London, or PAF (Police de l'Air et des Frontieres - French Immigration Police) in Dover if you can find their number but I rather think their reaction might be "why are you asking us this?".

I have travelled to work in France twice a week for almost 4 years and never has anyone asked me to justify why my passport has MY surname and my husband's passport has HIS surname in it.

The PAF in Dover are far more flexible now than they ever have been in the past. Previously they would refuse travel to France to Brits who could not prove their insurance docs on cars or people who had lost passports but had photocopies of their passports and bith certificates. They are now more willing to accept Brits on more flexible terms and use the skill of pragmatism when judging the travelling public. The PAF are there to protect France (and Schengen countries) from illegal immigration, criminality and terrorism, not to check why someone is called Smith or Jones.

BernadetteN

emweaver wrote: »

On a childs first passport, are the parents names shown on there? As on her application I put my married name

Parents' names sadly are not shown on passports. You may come across difficulties if you apply for a child's passport where your name appears differently on the application form to the name on your passport. The IPS helpline would be able to advise you.0870 521 0410


We have been issued with 7 passports for our 4 kids over the last 11 years and only once have we had difficulties with the application process when a caseworker didn't like that I had one surname and husband had another surname and she didn't beleive we were also married (even though a passport had been issued to our son previously with sight of our marriage certificate). A quick call to the helpline and submission of the marriage certificate again and we got the passport within a few days.

moonrakerz

Nordictat2 wrote: »

No true! Atleast with me. I got married some yrs ago and I didn't change my passport til last yrs actually. It avoids quite a few problems like IF you get stopped by customs they can ask you..if you are married how come you don't have your husbands's name and all that other B.S!
When i went to renew my pass as it was getting close to exp. they told me I NEEDED to have my married name on there and they also said it would avoid future problems.

Totally true ! My cousin uses her maiden name and has been married for years. As do a number of the present Government, in fact.
Any problems are self imposed, like having Smith in your passport and buying an air tickets for Jones.
You can call yourself whatever name you want - NO ONE can tell you what name you have to use, least of all Customs !

moonrakerz

BernadetteN wrote: »

I would just like to point out that use British are in a minority in the world in that the majority of women change names when married and it is becoming increasingly common for married women in the UK to keep their maiden name or use maiden and married names in different circumstances - I am one of them and after 11 years of marriage and passport in maiden name and travelling to work in France several times a week, not once has anyone asked why my passport does not contain my husband's surname.

PS Married French females rarely change their surname -instead it is usual to have it marked "spouse of husband's surname" after their surname in their passports - therefore it is highly unlikely that anyone in France would ask you why you have a different surname in your passport.

It must be fun in places like Iceland where 2 children of the same parents will have different "surnames" !

Voyager2002

emweaver wrote: »

Hi,

We're hoping to travel to France end of March but I just realised my passport is in maiden name. Ive been maried 5 years but my passport has never been used so it didnt occur to me to change it.

Does anyone know if I can travel to France with this passport or will I need a new one?

I read on the passport service site some countries allow you to providing you take your marriage certificate with you but wasnt sure if France was one of these countries?

This is really not an issue. All that will interest the authorities is that you possess a British passport.

Just be sure that any documents you will use on your trip are in the same name as the passport: air tickets above all; papers for driving; travellers' cheques if you bother with them.

The cost of changing your name on a passport is about the same as getting a new one, so definitely not worth the bother.

mynameisclare

I also have a query...

My surname contains an apostrophe and it is spelt as such in my passport but I think the machine readable bit at the bottom has a space instead.

However (as is nearly always the case) the website I bought airline tickets from didn't like the apostrophe so my surname on the ticket misses it out with NO space.

Is this going to cause any problem? All the letters are correct. It's American Airlines if that makes a difference.

Nordictat2

moonrakerz wrote: »

Totally true ! My cousin uses her maiden name and has been married for years. As do a number of the present Government, in fact.
Any problems are self imposed, like having Smith in your passport and buying an air tickets for Jones.
You can call yourself whatever name you want - NO ONE can tell you what name you have to use, least of all Customs !

When my husband and I went to the US last time when we went thru passport check there gave my husband and I a hard time asking WHY so in fact it CAN happen and if you want to risk it go ahead but I rather be safe than sorry..thank you! Since I changed it.. I've had NO problems!

BernadetteN

Nordictat2 wrote: »

When my husband and I went to the US last time when we went thru passport check there gave my husband and I a hard time asking WHY so in fact it CAN happen and if you want to risk it go ahead but I rather be safe than sorry..thank you! Since I changed it.. I've had NO problems!

Aha you are talking about the good old USA, the country which thinks its democracy is so great it gives it a right to invade Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and think it can win wars there!

The OP is talking about a whole more civilised place called Europe where French Immigration Police will care more about when there next 4 hour lunch break begins than what someone's surname is.

And to give the Americans credit, even they don't have a law that says you can be refused entry to the USA because your name is Miss Smith instead of Mrs Jones. You must have come across the one in a million US Immigration Officer.

The OP is running more risk of being struck by lightening this afternoon than being refused entry to France for using the name Mrs Jones in everyday life and having her passport in the name of Miss Smith - how is French Immigration going to know that she is now known as Mrs Jones now anyway unless she has booked her tickets in her married name and then shows her tickets to French Immigration (who will have no reason to ask for them anyway unless they are doubting Mrs Jones' identity or trying to help her on her journey by pointing out she is too early for her ferry or something).

PS there were 14 million passengers who travelled through northern France ports last year where I work. I will stick my neck out and say not one of those passengers were refused entry into France or the UK JUST because the name on their passport was different to the name they used in everyday life like the OP's.

Nordictat2

BernadetteN...

I take offence to that being I AM AMERICAN! No country is perfect so get off your damn high horse! Don't forget the UK is over in that "war" too so your Govt. is not innocent either anyways back to the topic. It can happen anywhere to anyone at anytime just because it hasn't happened to you yet doesn't mean it won't ever happen thus why i SAID better to be safe than sorry!

BernadetteN

Nordictat2 wrote: »

BernadetteN...

I take offence to that being I AM AMERICAN! No country is perfect so get off your damn high horse! Don't forget the UK is over in that "war" too so your Govt. is not innocent either anyways back to the topic. It can happen anywhere to anyone at anytime just because it hasn't happened to you yet doesn't mean it won't ever happen thus why i SAID better to be safe than sorry!

Dear me,

Bad day? Fail to understand a British sense of humour?

I didn't say the UK was perfect either. Mia culpa on the UK's behalf.

BTW I don't like riding so I'm not on a horse.