CHANGING NAMES

If you are planning to change your surname, the course of action you need to take will depend upon which of the options outlined above that you choose to take. Let's take a look at each scenario in turn:

• Wife Changes Surname: You do not need to go via deed poll, but you will need to notify all relevant parties of your name change. In certain cases, you will need to supply a copy of your marriage license to authorise the change of records.

• Retention of Maiden Name: The simplest method - this requires no documentation to be changed.

• Double-Barrelled Surname: This needs to be actioned via deed poll. The simplest way is to have the husband-to-be to alter his surname in advance (making sure that he alters all the various documents), and then follow the rules as per ‘wife changes surname’.

• Taking Your Maiden Name as a Middle Name: Done via deed-poll – and followed up by the alteration of all the various relevant documents.

• Husband Changes Surname: Again via deed-poll as per ‘taking your maiden name as a middle name’.

When changing any name, via deed poll or through the traditional route of the wife adopting her husband’s surname, there are a number of parties you will need to inform – the list on the next page outlines the most common ones: