
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.
18 articles

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.

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.

What a child arrangements order covers, the welfare checklist, the MIAM mediation requirement, and how Scotland's residence and contact orders differ.

How the Child Maintenance Service works out child maintenance: gross income, the five rate bands, Direct Pay vs Collect and Pay, shared care and fees.

How UK cohabitation agreements work: England and Wales contract law and TOLATA s.14, the 2026 reform proposal, and Scotland's stricter statutory deadlines.

Cohabiting couples have very limited rights in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland is different. What unmarried partners can and cannot claim.

There is no such thing as common law marriage in the UK. Learn what rights unmarried partners actually have, and why Scotland is different.

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.

How divorce works in Scotland: the four grounds for breakdown, the simplified DIY procedure, which court to use, and fair sharing of matrimonial property.

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.

How courts decide financial settlements on divorce in England and Wales under section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973: no formula, just factors.

Grandparents have no automatic right to see grandchildren in England and Wales. How leave to apply, child arrangements orders and Scotland's rules compare.

UK child maintenance worked examples across the flat, reduced, basic and basic-plus rates, including shared care and other-children reductions.

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.

No-fault divorce explained: England and Wales rules since 2022, the 20 and 6-week timeline, and how Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.

Who has parental responsibility in England and Wales: mothers, fathers, birth certificates, agreements and court orders, plus how Scotland differs.

Are prenuptial agreements legally binding in the UK? How Radmacher v Granatino applies in England and Wales, and why Scotland treats them differently.

How UK family law differs by nation: child maintenance (CMS), no-fault divorce, cohabitation rights, prenups and child arrangements explained.