Change Your Name on UK Documents: Passport, DVLA, HMRC
How to update your name on a UK passport, driving licence, HMRC record, electoral register, DWP benefits and DBS certificate after a deed poll, marriage or divorce.
11 min read
UK Family Law
22 articles
Changing Your Name After Marriage or Divorce (UK)
Do you need a deed poll after marriage or divorce? What HMPO and DVLA actually ask for, passport fees, the PD2 post-dated passport, and the Scotland difference.
8 min read
Child Arrangements Order Explained (England & Wales)
What a child arrangements order covers, the welfare checklist, the MIAM mediation requirement, and how Scotland's residence and contact orders differ.
8 min read
Child Maintenance UK: How Much You Pay or Get and How the CMS Works It Out
How UK child maintenance is worked out and how much it comes to: the five CMS rate bands, worked examples, shared care, other children, and Direct Pay vs Collect and Pay.
14 min read
Civil Partnership UK: Who Can Form One and How Dissolution Differs From Divorce
Civil partnership is open to same-sex and opposite-sex couples across the UK, on three different dates by nation. Eligibility, formation, and how dissolution differs from divorce.
7 min read
Cohabitation Agreements UK: Legal Status, TOLATA and Scotland
How UK cohabitation agreements work: England and Wales contract law and TOLATA s.14, the 2026 reform proposal, and Scotland's stricter statutory deadlines.
10 min read
Cohabiting Couples' Rights in the UK
Cohabiting couples have very limited rights in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland is different. What unmarried partners can and cannot claim.
10 min read
Common Law Marriage in the UK: The Myth Explained
There is no such thing as common law marriage in the UK. Learn what rights unmarried partners actually have, and why Scotland is different.
10 min read
Deed Poll: How to Legally Change Your Name in the UK
How a deed poll works in England and Wales: the free unenrolled route, the £53.05 enrolled route, Gazette publication, and rules for changing a child's name.
13 min read
Divorce in Scotland: Grounds and Procedure
How divorce works in Scotland: the four grounds for breakdown, the simplified DIY procedure, which court to use, and fair sharing of matrimonial property.
7 min read
Divorce Process in England and Wales
How the no-fault divorce process works in England and Wales: application, the 20-week and 6-week waits, conditional order, final order, and costs.
7 min read
Domestic Abuse Protection Order (DAPO) UK: Pilot Areas and Current Status by Nation
Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPO/DAPN) are still a pilot in England and Wales, not law nationwide. Pilot areas, the 24 November 2026 end date, and the Scotland and Northern Ireland position.
9 min read
Financial Settlement on Divorce (England & Wales)
How courts decide financial settlements on divorce in England and Wales under section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973: no formula, just factors.
8 min read
Grandparents' Rights to See Grandchildren in the UK
Grandparents have no automatic right to see grandchildren in England and Wales. How leave to apply, child arrangements orders and Scotland's rules compare.
7 min read
How to Change Your Name in Scotland: NRS Process & Fees
Change your name in Scotland through National Records of Scotland: eligibility, the £40 fee, age rules, processing times, and the separate Northern Ireland (GRONI) route.
12 min read
No-Fault Divorce in the UK: How It Works
No-fault divorce explained: England and Wales rules since 2022, the 20 and 6-week timeline, and how Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.
10 min read
Non-Molestation and Occupation Orders UK: How to Apply Using Form FL401
How to get a non-molestation order or occupation order under the Family Law Act 1996 using Form FL401, the court fee position, legal aid, and the Scotland and Northern Ireland equivalents.
10 min read
Parental Responsibility: Who Has It and How to Get It
Who has parental responsibility in England and Wales: mothers, fathers, birth certificates, agreements and court orders, plus how Scotland differs.
11 min read
Prenuptial Agreements (Prenups) in the UK: Are They Binding?
Are prenuptial agreements (prenups) binding in the UK? How Radmacher v Granatino applies in England and Wales, and why Scotland treats them differently.
10 min read
Special Guardianship Order UK: Who Can Apply and How It Differs From Adoption
Special guardianship orders under section 14A of the Children Act 1989: who can apply, the three month notice to the council, and why Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.
7 min read
Surrogacy Law UK: What Is Legal, Parental Orders and the Six Month Deadline
UK surrogacy law explained: why arrangements are unenforceable, what payments are lawful, the parental order route under sections 54 and 54A, and the unenacted 2023 reform report.
8 min read
UK Family Law: Divorce, Child Maintenance & Rights
How UK family law differs by nation: child maintenance (CMS), no-fault divorce, cohabitation rights, prenups and child arrangements explained.
7 min read