# My wife's Biometric Residence Permit in maiden name - wants to take married name



## Stephen980369 (Jan 16, 2014)

Good evening! 

Today my wife received her first FLR(M) visa / Biometric Residence Permit which is valid for 2.5 years. The BRP has been issued in her maiden name which is as it appears in her passport. Her passport is two years old so it would appear a costly excersize to get her a new passport so soon. She is an American national but will now take my surname on all things relating in Britain like bank account, rental agreement, council tax and bills etc.

Should we have got her BRP issues in her new married name? Should we just pay and get her a new American passport with her married name? How easy if possible is it to change the name on the BRP the information leaflet says we should inform the Home Office within 3 months or could be fined £1000. Over the next 2.5 years we will share financial responsibily however it will be documented in her married name not BRP / Passport name, will this cause problems when extending for another 2.5 years?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as we don't want to jepodise her stay here.

Many thanks in advance 
Stephen & Catherine


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

You're going to have to shell out for a new passport in her married name before she can get the BRP changed.

I'm in the same boat as you. When I got married in November '12, I chose to keep my BRP and my passport in my maiden name because it was going to cost me a good chunk of change to get my (Canadian) passport changed (it was only issued in February '12) and at that time, because of the July 9th rules change, it was taking 3-4 months for the Home Office to process change of name requests for BRPs. I was not willing to go without my passport for that length of time, so I chose to just sit tight and keep everything as is. 

Fast forward 19 months and I'm within months of applying for ILR (I was grandfathered in under the old rules, so I qualify for ILR after 2 years). I'm in the process of getting my passport application in order (that will go in on July 4th in anticipation of an October ILR application) and preparing for the ILR and will "officially" switch over to my married name. I want my maiden name added to everything as a middle name, but since Passport Canada doesn't recognise deed polls for this purpose, I'm having to get the DVLA to change my license so I can have the name that I want (I'm waiting to hear back from them)... once the passport has been changed, I'll slowly notify everyone (NHS, DWP etc) of the change.

When I registered with my husband for a joint bank account, we took along our marriage certificate and they were agreeable to having the account in one name and not in his name and my maiden name.

Good luck to you and congratulations to you and Catherine!


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## Stephen980369 (Jan 16, 2014)

Hello WestCoastCanadianGirl!

Many thanks for your reply! You've put our mind at ease, we just don't want to fall fowl of the law. I guess my wife is happy to keep her passport in her maiden name for now, particularly we don't want unnecessary costs, waiting time without passport and BRP etc. Do you think that when we come to renew the FLR (M) in 2.5 years we should get the BRP changed to her married name an then apply to change her passport, I'm guessing the American Embassy in London can process a new passport in her married name? I just don't want to be in a situation where her official photo IDs are in her maiden name then all administrative paper stuff like NHS, Bank etc are in married name because it might be difficult to prove her identity unless she carries a copy of our marriage certificate?

Thanks in advance for replies 
Stephen & Catherine


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Catherine is still going to have to get a new passport in 2.5 years if she wants her next BRP in her married name, as the BRP can only be issued to match the name on her passport. 

I've not run into any problems day-to-day being dual named (some stuff in married name, some in maiden name... mind you, when I'm using things like "click and collect," I have to remember which name I've signed up with and remember to have the corresponding ID with me when I go to collect) but for the "important" stuff like banking, NHS, DWP, DVLA etc, I'm always sure to have my marriage certificate and passport with me when dealing with those people. 

I've got a few deed polls to have on hand in instances (like my driving license) where I need to establish a link between my maiden name and my married name and the version I want to have on my government ID but otherwise I've been living a so-called dual identity for the last 2 years.


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