Changing the name on your passport

You should think carefully about whether to change the name on your passport before your wedding ceremony or wait until you've returned from a foreign trip. This is because the name on your passport should match the name in which you booked your travel. If the name on your passport does not match the booking:

1. some countries may not let you in

2. some travel companies may not let you board their flights

This may be the case even if you carry your marriage or civil partnership certificate with you.
You should check with your travel agent or the consulate of the country you plan to visit.

IPS can change the name on your passport up to three months before the ceremony. They will cancel your old passport and issue you a new one. But the new passport is 'postdated'. This means you cannot use it before the day of the ceremony. Some countries will not issue visas for postdated passports. You should check with the consulate of the country concerned.

If you decide to amend your passport before your wedding ceremony

To amend your passport before the ceremony, you need form (PD2) and leaflet (PD1) 'Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners'. These documents explain what you need to do - you can get them:

1. by downloading them as PDF files

2. from Post Office branches that offer the Check & Send service

3. from any IPS Customer Service Centre

4. by calling the IPS Passport Adviceline 0300 222 0000 to get them sent out to you

The form should be completed partly by you and partly by the person who is to conduct the ceremony. The leaflet explains this in more detail.

Download 'PD1 - Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners' leaflet (PDF, 141K)

Download 'PD2 - Passports for Newly Weds and Civil Partners' form (PDF, 110K)

If you decide to amend your passport after your wedding ceremony

If you want to amend your passport after your wedding or civil partnership, you only need to complete the standard passport application form. You will also need to send your marriage or civil partnership certificate to IPS.