Mr and Mrs

It is usual for the bride to take her husband’s surname when they are married, but this is not a legal requirement. If she does choose to adopt it, however, the marriage certificate is evidence enough that she has changed her surname and a deed poll is not required.

When changing her name on official papers or accounts a passport may also be required along with the marriage certificate. It is possible to buy further copies of the marriage certificate from the Registrar of births, marriages and deaths at the local register office. If the bride decides to keep her maiden name she is able to change it at any point to the name of her husband. A groom has no legal right to change his name.

A surname must be legally changed by deed poll if the couple chooses to have a double-barreled or hyphenated surname or if the bride wishes to keep her maiden name as a middle name and adopt her husband’s surname. This is also the case if the bride wishes to change the surname of any children from a previous relationship to that of her new husband.

If a bride wishes to change the name on her passport she must do this up to three months before the wedding and then cannot travel until she is married. The name on the honeymoon tickets should correspond to the name on her passport other wise certain countries may not grant her access.

The DVLA will require the bride to send them original identity documents showing proof of her change of name, her photo card and its paper counterpart. There will be no fee for this and the bride may still drive while her license is with the DVLA.

The bride should update her records at her GP and will be issued with a new medical card, though her NHS number will not change. She should also be advised about changing her details if she is an organ donor.

The bride will need her marriage certificate and passport in order to change the name on her bank account. Direct debits will not be affected by this, but the bride will have to wait for her new cards to be sent out. All relevant mortgage, credit card, store card, insurance and utility companies should also be informed of the name change.

Many gyms or private members clubs may wish to see new identification documents, but a letter or telephone call should be enough. However, any mobile phone accounts will have to be amended once the relevant identification documents are seen.