Changing your (real) name

Has anyone done this? and if so have you had any difficulty later?

No I'm not moving to Panama...

Originally Posted by Ed

Has anyone done this? and if so have you had any difficulty later?

No I'm not moving to Panama...

your not planning to go on a long cannoing trip are you?

I had to change my surname by deed poll recently despite it being the one i've been using for most of my life but its different from the one on my birth certificate which is a reyt pain in the neck when applying for stuff

I changed my surname back to my real name at 16 years of age. I didn't even know the name I had been using before that time was not my real name.

Yes, my life as a child was very complicated.

You're a lawyer, you've got all the paperwork Just takes a notary doesn't it?

Came very close to it a few years back when I realised the major paternal influence on my life was not my father but my maternal grandfather, and began to think "why the hell am I carrying his surname around?".

Can only offer the experience of my mother, who's now on surname number four She still gets letters (many from HMRC) addressed to the wrong name. It would appear that there are several departments, commercial and public, that have her records as two/three/four seperate people rather than one. Come the ID card, she'll be able to choose multiple identities, keep one for upstanding works and good citizenry, and the others for running her Evil Crime Syndicate. Which is another reason ID cards will be crap.

Oh, remember to practice your new signature - she always went with first initial & surname, doing this with her current surname however results in a rather unpleasant word, so she changed to full name signature

Originally Posted by BigApe

I changed my surname back to my real name at 16 years of age. I didn't even know the name I had been using before that time was not my real name.

Yes, my life as a child was very complicated.

same with me but other way round. Had been using a name different from what it should have been, but far too much bother to start using the original one. can't win either way though.

Damn, thanks for reminding me Ed - I really need to get a wriggle on and get this sorted.

I'm planning on changing my name, but am also a bit worried about potential hassles - now I've started Uni, potential mix-ups with grants etc - so wondering if it would be better until I've finished my course...

... stuff like that.

I have been told that if you are going to do it by Deed Poll it's worth the extra money to get additional copies of the 'proof of change' certificate - it's the thing that you have to send to your bank etc. They can be slow in sending them back and won't accept a photocopy (got to send the original form) so getting multiple originals from the start is a good idea.

Hope that helps, but I could also do with some extra advice (re: timing) too.

Originally Posted by K

I have been told that if you are going to do it by Deed Poll it's worth the extra money to get additional copies of the 'proof of change' certificate - it's the thing that you have to send to your bank etc. They can be slow in sending them back and won't accept a photocopy (got to send the original form) so getting multiple originals from the start is a good idea.

yeah i got a couple of copies for an extra fee, wasn't much though. worth it in the long run, although the original is usually asked for especially for passports and driving licences etc.

I changed my name on the internet. Think it cost £15.

They messed up & didn't put the right name on the certificate, but when I applied for the rename of driver's licence & passport no-one noticed.

IIRC: You can get all the details for your driver's licence & passport checked at the Post Office....saves emailling them out.

I can't be the only nosey one wondering...

From what to what?

For all of you