# wanting to change my name



## stacey812000 (Feb 6, 2011)

Hi all, does anyone know how i do this

Im from england and live in italy, we just got married in the commune and currently don't have any documents like residenza etc

Is it best i do this in england before i get my italian documents but they have my main name on documents

Any advice would be great


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Do you mean change your surname from your maiden name (the surname you were born with) to you spouse's surname? Italy doesn't do that when you marry.

It's bureaucratically simplest everywhere if you don't change your name. However, if you insist, you have a couple options. The best option is to change your name in the U.K. then after that get married in Italy using your new name. That's a little weird, but it works -- although it sounds like you didn't do that. Another option is you can keep your birth name in Italy and legally change your name in the U.K. -- and have two different legal names, one in each country. That's a bit of a mess but workable if you're very careful. A third option is you can go to an Italian court and apply for a name change. You need to argue good cause, though -- for example, your current surname causes you anguish because it's the same as a well known brand of pasta. (I'm exaggerating for effect, but that's the idea -- Italy doesn't permit name changes "just because.")

It's possible there's some EU argument here, that if you change your name in the U.K. then Italy is obliged to respect it for EU reasons. But I'm not sure about that.

....Are you sure you want to change your name?


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