Passport Name Change Checklist — What to Update
When your name changes, your passport does not follow automatically. In every country below you must apply for a new passport in the new name, then update the documents and bookings that still carry the old one. This page covers the name-change route for the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, plus the photo you must submit with each. It is the companion to our renewal pages — renewals cover a new passport in the same name, this page covers the name change itself; see the UK renewal checklist and the first US passport checklist. Verified against official sources, September 2026.
Stage A — The chain a name change sets off
- ☐ Get the legal name-change document first — in all five countries the passport office wants evidence that links your new name to the name on your birth certificate or citizenship record: a marriage certificate, a civil partnership / registered relationship certificate, a court order or divorce order, or a deed poll / statutory declaration.
- ☐ Replace the passport — every country here requires a new passport, not an amendment (details by country below).
- ☐ Expect the old passport to stop working — several countries say outright that you should stop using the old book once you have changed your name.
- ☐ Re-check visas and other ID — unexpired visas inside the old passport may not survive a name change, and driving licences, bank records and memberships follow the same chain.
- ☐ Fix travel bookings last — after the new passport is in hand, make the ticket name match the passport exactly; mismatches are a checkpoint problem, not a paperwork one.
Stage B — United Kingdom
- ☐ You must get a new passport. gov.uk states that you will need a new passport to travel or prove your identity if you change your name.
- ☐ No time is carried over. You will be sent a new 10-year passport, and time left on your old passport is not added to the new one.
- ☐ The passport name must match the ticket. gov.uk warns that the name on your passport must match the one you use when you book travel.
- ☐ Check your visas. Unexpired visas in the old passport may become invalid when you change your name — confirm with the embassy or consulate that issued the visa.
- ☐ No countersignature needed. You do not need a countersignature if you are only changing your name or adding a title.
Stage C — United States
- ☐ A name change can take you off the renewal route. USAGov is explicit: if your passport was issued in your previous name and you do not have a legal document such as a marriage licence to prove the change, you cannot renew and must apply for a new passport in person using Form DS-11.
- ☐ Check the other renewal disqualifiers too — a passport issued before age 16, one issued more than 15 years ago, or one that is damaged, lost or stolen all push you to the DS-11 route as well.
- ☐ Bring the name-change document that links the old name to the new one; that is what keeps you out of the "no legal document" trap above.
- ☐ Submit a photo with the application — the US specs are in Stage G.
Stage D — Canada
- ☐ Treat it as a new application plus extras. Canada says the process is the same as applying for a new adult passport, but because the name is changing you must give extra documents.
- ☐ If the change follows a relationship change, you must re-apply and pay. Changing your last name because of a marriage, civil partnership or divorce means a new application, all the required documents, and the fees.
- ☐ Gather the relationship proof — one or more of a marriage certificate, a common-law relationship certificate, or a court order issued in or outside Canada (such as a divorce order or judgment); originals or copies are accepted.
- ☐ Do not let the names drift apart. If the passport name does not match your bookings or other ID you can hit delays at border crossings, be refused boarding on a plane, boat, train or bus, or be refused entry by a country.
- ☐ Indigenous name restoration: there is a no-cost route to have a name restored, but it now runs on eligibility conditions, not a deadline — your passport must not have less than 6 months of validity left, must not be damaged, and must not have been declared lost or stolen. The updated document keeps the same expiry date as the current valid one. (Indigenous no-cost clause reflects a snapshot and is pending live-page re-check.)
Stage E — Australia
- ☐ Know which name the passport will carry. The name will be the one on your full Australian birth certificate, Australian citizenship certificate, or most recent Australian passport issued after 20 August 1986 with a validity of two years or more — unless you provide the documents required to accept a different name.
- ☐ Marital-status changes are the flexible case. If you changed your name because of a change in marital status (marriage, divorce, entering or leaving a registered relationship, or the death of a spouse) you can get a new passport or keep using your current one; book travel in the name that is in your passport.
- ☐ For any other reason, stop using the old passport. Australia says you should stop using your current passport if you changed your name for other reasons.
- ☐ No two passports in two names. You cannot hold different Australian passports in different names — if you have two or more concurrent passports and change your name in one, all of them must be changed at the same time.
- ☐ Show the linking document from a state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (marriage, registered relationship, or change-of-name certificate).
- ☐ Free replacement? Only on the marital-status path and only if you meet every condition: the current passport expires more than two years from now, has not been lost, stolen or badly damaged, the change was to your family name, it was your most recent name change, and you can show it related to a change in marital or de facto relationship status. A change of given name(s) only does not qualify.
Stage F — New Zealand
- ☐ Apply for a new passport — and make the passport name match your travel tickets.
- ☐ Use an acceptable name source: your registered birth name, your married or civil union name, the name on your citizenship certificate, or a name changed by deed poll or statutory declaration. An unregistered name such as a nickname cannot go in the passport.
- ☐ Tell them three things: your previous name and new name, the date of the change, and the reason for it.
- ☐ Most NZ name changes need no supporting documents if you were born in New Zealand, or born outside it and registered your name change in New Zealand after 25 January 2009. You do need the document if you were born outside New Zealand and registered the change there before 25 January 2009.
- ☐ Changed your name overseas? Provide the official document confirming the change; if it is not in English it must be translated.
Stage G — The photo you must submit
The name change itself does not change the photo rules — you still submit a fresh photo with the new application. Two of the five countries publish full print specs:
- ☐ Canada — 2 identical, unaltered photos; 50 mm wide by 70 mm high; face height 31–36 mm from chin to crown; taken no more than 6 months before you submit; plain white or light-coloured background (avoid white clothing, which can blend in and cause rejection); colour or black and white, professionally taken on photo paper — no home prints or heavyweight paper, and no altering, filters or AI edits.
- ☐ United States — 1 colour photo taken in the last 6 months; printed size 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm); head 25–35 mm from chin to top of head; plain white or off-white background free of shadows, textures or objects; original and unedited, without filters or AI changes; high-resolution, not blurry, grainy or pixelated, with no visible printer dots; printed on matte or glossy photo-quality paper — no photocopies or scans. The official US page sets no pixel minimum.
- ☐ UK, Australia, New Zealand — their name-change pages do not publish print photo specs; use the country photo pages linked below and our full size chart for the numbers.
- ☐ Check before you send. Run your shot through the passport photo checker and read the top rejection reasons; photo validity windows differ by country.
The three things that most often go wrong
- Assuming the passport updates itself — it does not; every country here requires a new application, and several say the old book must stop being used.
- Missing the linking document — without the marriage certificate, court order or deed poll that ties the new name to the birth record, the application stalls (in the US it can take you off the renewal route entirely).
- Booking travel in the old name — the passport name must match the ticket; a mismatch triggers the delay at the border or the boarding gate that every one of these pages warns about.
Country photo pages
- ☐ UK print format: UK passport photo.
- ☐ US print format: US passport photo.
- ☐ Canada print format: Canada passport photo.
- ☐ Australia print format: Australia passport photo · size examples: Taiwan and Turkey.
- ☐ Need to resize or crop a shot to spec? Use the image cropper.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a new passport when I change my name?
Yes. In the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand a name change means a new passport application — the passport does not update itself, and several countries say you should stop using the old book once the name has changed.
Can I just renew my passport instead of applying afresh?
Not always. In the US, if your passport carries your previous name and you have no legal document proving the name change, you cannot renew — you must apply in person on Form DS-11. Canada similarly treats a name change as a new application with extra documents.
What documents prove a name change?
The passport office needs evidence linking the new name to your birth or citizenship record: a marriage certificate, a civil partnership or registered relationship certificate, a court or divorce order, or a deed poll or statutory declaration. New Zealand accepts a deed poll or statutory declaration directly.
Is a passport name change ever free?
It can be, but only on specific routes. Australia gives a free replacement only when the change follows a marital-status change and every condition is met (including a family-name change and more than two years left on the current passport). Canada has a no-cost route for Indigenous name restoration, subject to eligibility conditions rather than a deadline.
What photo do I send with a name-change passport application?
A fresh one. Canada asks for 2 identical unaltered photos, 50 × 70 mm with a 31–36 mm face height, on a plain white or light background, taken within 6 months. The US asks for 1 colour photo, 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm) with a 25–35 mm head height, on a plain white or off-white background, taken in the last 6 months.
Will my old visas still work after I change my name?
Do not assume so. The UK warns that unexpired visas in the old passport may become invalid when you change your name, and advises checking with the issuing embassy or consulate before you travel.
UK and US facts were checked against live government pages (gov.uk, USAGov); the Canada, Australia and New Zealand details come from official government pages read via Wayback snapshots (Canada change-name 2026-05-27 and photos 2026-09-20; Australia 2024-04-04; New Zealand 2026-09-19, page last updated 25 July 2024), because the live sites blocked or timed out at the time of writing. The Canadian Indigenous no-cost clause is pending a live-page re-check. Rules change — re-check the official source before you apply. Every country's checklist lives on the visa checklists hub, and the photo formats are on the size chart.