Your name, your choice
It is common practice for one or both parties to change their name(s) after a marriage or civil partnership ceremony. In the UK this is a personal choice rather than a legal requirement.
If you would like to change your surname following a marriage or civil partnership there will be several organisations that you need to inform. You should contact each organisation to check whether further evidence will be required.
You can use your marriage or civil partnership certificate to tell organisations you are taking the name of your spouse/civil partner. However, if you wish to change your name to an amalgamation of your names or something completely different, you should use a change of name deed.
Changing your passport before your ceremony
You should think carefully about whether you wish to change your name on your passport before your ceremony date or afterwards, when you have returned from any honeymoon or foreign trip.
You should ensure that the name on your passport matches the name in which you have booked your travel. Even if you have your marriage or civil partnership certificate with you, some countries may not let you in and some travel companies may not let you board their flights if your name is different on your tickets than on your passport.
To amend your passport before your ceremony, you need to complete a standard application form, but also a form PD2 which you can obtain:
- by downloading it from the www.gov.uk website
- by calling the passport advice line on 0300 222 0000 who will send it to you.
There is also a leaflet (PD1) entitled 'Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners' (Gov.UK), which explains exactly what to do.
After you have completed your section of the PD2 form, the registrar conducting your ceremony will also need to complete part of the form. You can either post the form to our ceremonies team at the address below, or you can scan and email the form to us.
Ceremonies Team
Lincolnshire Registration Service
4 Lindum Road
Lincoln
LN2 1NN
Or scan and send by email to: ceremonies@lincolnshire.gov.uk
Changing your passport after your ceremony
If you decide to change your name on your passport after your ceremony when you have returned from any trip overseas, you need only complete a standard application form and send your marriage or civil partnership certificate to HMS Passport Office (Gov.UK)with your application - form PD2 is not required.
If you have any questions about the information on this page please contact us.