I changed my name by Deed Poll. Which means I’ve needed to apply for a new passport.
And yes, rather than leave it until I’m actually going somewhere, I decided to apply for a new one now. Sooner rather than later. Maroon rather than blue.
It arrived, all shiny, on 28th January, three days before we left Europe. I got in just under the wire. Which means that for the next ten years I’ll be the proud owner of a maroon passport to remind me of the rights I used to have.
Symbolic in so many ways – symbolic of my new name, my independence, my intention to travel alone. And symbolic of my wish to remain in Europe. Also, a reminder that any of our rights can be taken away – and we need to be reminded of that.
Let me tell you a bit about changing your name. Blow a few myths out of the water. First of all – it’s not difficult. Second of all – it’s not expensive. In fact, it’s free.
All you need to do is download a Deed Poll form and print it – you can do it here if you like. You then need two people to act as witnesses. You fill in the details, sign the form with both your old name and your new name, and the witnesses sign to say that they saw you do it. And that’s it.
You do NOT need to enroll it. You do NOT need to pay the £36 required to enroll it. All you need for all practical purposes is an unenrolled Deed Poll.
I’ve used my unenrolled Deed Poll to change my name on my bank accounts, my driving licence, and now my passport. There was absolutely no difficulty at all with the driving licence or the passport – I guess they’re dealing with this sort of thing all the time. They know what they’re doing.
I’ve had a bit more bother with the banks. One bank clerk looked at the Deed Poll long and hard and then said ‘It should be stamped’. I asked her who she thought should have stamped it. She really didn’t know. She wandered off to ask someone else, and then my perfectly acceptable unenrolled Deed Poll was accepted.
I’m looking forward to using my new passport. There are places I want to go and things I want to see, in Europe and beyond. Watch out world, here I come.
Check this out!! I’ve been mentioned on a website called It’s Rosy under the heading ‘Best Bloggers over 50’ – follow the link and scroll down to #9!! You can’t begin to imagine how proud I feel, particularly when they say things like ‘Incredibly well written’. And getting a mention has led to more of you lovely people finding my blog, which is just brilliant. I hope you like what you’ve found here.
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