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Changing your passport name before the wedding

You can get a passport in your married name before the big day. HM Passport Office issues post-dated passports up to 3 months before the ceremony, but your old passport is cancelled and the new one won’t work until you’re married. Here’s how it works, and when a deed poll is the simpler route.

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Checked against GOV.UK
Every rule from the Passport Office

Checked against GOV.UK’s passport pages and HM Passport Office’s forms for newly weds. Sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerPost-dated passportsThe catchesYour optionsThe deed poll routeAfter the weddingFAQs

The quick answer

If you’re taking your spouse’s surname, you can apply for a passport in your new name up to 3 months before the ceremony. The person conducting it signs a form, your current passport is cancelled, and the new one is post-dated, so you can’t use it until after the wedding. GOV.UK warns that some countries won’t issue visas for post-dated passports.

If you want a blended surname, a new first name or simply your new name sooner, a post-dated passport won’t help. A deed poll changes your name the day you sign it, and you can then apply for an ordinary passport in your new name. Ours is £14.95 with free tracked delivery.

How it works

How a post-dated passport works

GOV.UK says you can apply up to 3 months before your marriage or civil partnership ceremony. You send a “passports for newly weds and civil partners” form, signed by the religious minister or registrar who will conduct the ceremony, with your application. GOV.UK: passport name change after marriage

Get the form signed

Download form PD2 from GOV.UK. The person conducting your ceremony fills in their part, and you fill in yours in your current name.

Apply in your new name

Send your passport application in your new name with your current passport and the form. The full passport fee applies.

Your old passport is cancelled

From the moment you apply, you can’t travel on it.

Use the new one after the ceremony

It’s post-dated, so it only works once you’re married.

GOV.UK publishes the form with guidance notes for newly weds. GOV.UK: passports for newly weds and civil partners

Before you apply

What to watch out for

  • No passport until the day. Your old passport is cancelled when you apply, and the new one can’t be used before the ceremony, so you can’t travel abroad in between.
  • Visas. GOV.UK says some countries won’t issue visas for post-dated passports, so check with the embassy or consulate of where you’re going before you apply.
  • If the wedding moves. A post-dated passport can’t be used before the ceremony. The Passport Office’s guidance for newly weds says to return it if the ceremony doesn’t go ahead, and you’d pay for a new passport in your old name.
  • Your booking. GOV.UK says the name on your passport must match the name you use to book your travel, so book the honeymoon in the name on the passport you’ll actually use.
Choose your route

Three ways to handle the honeymoon

RouteBest forWatch out for
Travel on your current passport, booked in your current nameHoneymoons booked months agoYour new name waits until you’re home
A post-dated passportTaking your spouse’s surname, or a double-barrel, and flying straight afterYour old passport is cancelled, the new one starts on the day, and some countries won’t issue visas for it
A deed poll now, then an ordinary passportBlended surnames, new first names, or anyone who wants their new name earlyYou’ll need evidence you use the new name, so leave time before you travel

Plenty of couples simply travel on their current passport, book in that name and change everything when they’re home. Whichever you choose, make sure the name on your tickets matches the passport in your hand.

Change your name before the big day

A deed poll works for any new name and takes effect the day you sign it. Order by 6pm, Monday to Friday, for same-day processing.

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The deed poll route

When a deed poll is the better route

A post-dated passport only covers a name you take through your marriage, such as your spouse’s surname or a double-barrel of both. For anything else, HM Passport Office needs a change of name document such as a deed poll, and a deed poll takes effect the day you sign it, so there’s no such thing as a post-dated one.

That’s why couples who want a blended surname, a new first name or a maiden name kept as a middle name sign a deed poll and apply for an ordinary passport. You’ll also need evidence that you use your new name, such as a payslip, a letter from your council or a driving licence issued after your deed poll, so leave plenty of time. GOV.UK: other name changes on a passport

Taking your partner’s surname before the wedding works the same way. Our guide to taking your partner’s surname without marrying explains how.

After the big day

Changing your name after the wedding

Skipped the post-dated passport? Apply in your new name after the ceremony and send your marriage or civil partnership certificate. Update your driving licence with the DVLA for free, then your bank and everyone else. Our guide to changing your name after marriage and our free checklist take you through it.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Up to 3 months before your ceremony. GOV.UK says you’ll need a form signed by the religious minister or registrar conducting it, and the passport is post-dated to your wedding day.

No. It’s post-dated, so you can’t use it before the ceremony, and your old passport is cancelled when you apply.

Yes, if you haven’t applied for a post-dated passport. It stays valid in your old name, so book your travel in that name.

The name on the passport you’ll travel with. GOV.UK says the name on your passport must match the one you use when you book your travel.

No. Post-dated passports are for the name you take through your marriage or civil partnership. A deed poll takes effect the day you sign it, so you sign it first and then apply for an ordinary passport in your new name.

You can’t use a post-dated passport before the ceremony. HM Passport Office’s guidance for newly weds says to return it, and you’d need to pay for a new passport in your old name.

Check the detail

Sources for this guide

Guidance and reference pages

The official rules this guide is based on, checked in October 2026.

Continue your name change

Related guides

Booking flights in your new name

Which name to book in while your passport changes.

Changing your name after marriage

When your certificate is enough, and when it isn’t.

Combining surnames

Double-barrelled and blended names for couples.

Ready when you are

Your new name, ready when you are.

A deed poll works for any new name and takes effect the day you sign it. Prepared, checked and posted free for £14.95.

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