candyann

Hi, I'd appreciate anyone who could point me to up to date knowledge about this.

My friend (no, really), who is Latvian, lives in the UK (no problem since they're both EU countries). Her Latvian passport is in her maiden name, but upon British naturalisation, she got her UK citizenship certificate in her married name--the name she now uses.

Applied for a UK passport and when you do this, you have to submit any other valid passport you have (UK or other country). Her application for a UK passport was then refused because her Latvian passport is in her old name.

Don't understand this rule as the UK happily issued the naturalisation certificate in the married name (she's married in the UK), so why not a passport? The problem is that Latvia will not change her name. I thought it was common to have a passport in one's maiden name and the new country's passport in one's married name, but it seems this is no longer possible in UK.

Any option other than cancelling the Latvian passport (and therefore having no travel document at all, unless and until the British will issue a passport?)

Thanks

:D!

Search immigrationboards.com where this problem has come up several times

UKVI which handles naturalisation is a completely different department to HMPO and HMPO no longer has any common sense or discretion. They claim that this is to prevent "multiple identities", and that they can do this because having a passport is "not a right", yet it is not illegal to have multiple identities in the UK and it is a basic right to be able to leave and enter your country

If she wants a British passport, there isn't any honest way around it except to try and get the name in her Latvian passport changed, or wait until it expires. Is it even possible to get it cancelled?

She wouldn't be entirely without a travel document as she can use a Latvian ID card for travel around most of Europe (and could keep that in her maiden name; I don't see any requirement to submit ID cards).

Unless she wants to travel somewhere where British citizens don't require visas but Latvian citizens do, there is no need to obtain a British passport and she can continue to use her Latvian passport to enter the UK.

If her Latvian passport remains in her maiden name and she eventually gets a British passport in her married name, then to remain completely honest in the future she will need to wait until she does not have a valid Latvian passport each time she wishes to renew her British passport

candyann

Thanks so much, very helpful. It may indeed not be possible to cancel the Latvian passport only wait until it expires.

Good to know still using the Latvian ID card in the old name would not be a problem for travel around Europe.

Until then I guess she is stuck with the Latvian passport--very silly. She does not want to give up Latvian citizenship but would rather have a passport in the name she uses rather than ex-husband's name insisted on by Latvia...!

jms_uk

Why?

GUWonder

Latvian laws applicable to name changes are rather strict compared to what is allowed in the common law regimes derived of the British tradition.

If the person has a criminal conviction history, name change not allowed?
If the person is currently being prosecuted for a crime, name change not allowed?
If the person's change of name impacts someone else in Latvia who doesn't want their last/family name to be available to any random person?
If the person's name change is being considered to be a game or otherwise disingenuine (by the authorities) or the name doesn't fit Latvian name and/or spelling conventions in an acceptable way (for the authorities)?

The answers to one or all of those questions tell you why.

WilcoRoger

She could always "lose" her LV passport (just must remember never to (try to) use it again)

jms_uk

First two could possibly be a problem for obtaining British citizenship, third one seems very unlikely with a British last name, so it must be the last one [about not fitting Latvian name and/or spelling conventions in an acceptable way (for the authorities)]. Bit silly, but who am I to judge.

Why would she need Latvian passport for renewing the British one?

So, is it her maiden name, or the ex-husband's? If she is divorced from him, why would authorities insist on her keeping that [sur]name?

GUWonder

The issue would be that the Latvian government's willingness to change (register changes of) names of its citizens/residents can be rather different than the British government's willingness to do the same for its citizens/residents. And sometimes the host country's willingness to change (recognize change of) names of persons with only foreign-issued recognized ID of certain forms is lower than it is for people who already have host-country docs that prove not only citizenship of a person but also documents that prove identity of a person claiming to have a specific citizenship.