I just thought I'd post this info on here in case anyone here has plans regarding this sort of thing in the future. We recently changed my step-daughters name by deed poll, which is something my wife has been urging me to do for quite a while now. We found a site online and made the initial application, then filled in the form they sent us.

The company we chose do a legal copy and archive service which we paid for and we also paid for extra legal copies so that we could send them to the Child Benefit and Working Tax Credit Departments. We also gave copies to her school, doctor, dentist etc. So far so good.......

The next step, as we saw it, was to apply to the Philippines Embassy in London to have her passport amended, so I went online and downloaded the only available Passport Ammendment form on their website. After reading the form I was convinced there must be a different form available for ammending the passport of a minor because the one that I downloaded asked questions such as, "married surname" and married to, so I sent an email to the Philippine Embassy to try to clarify the situation.

After returning from my lunchbreak, I found an email from a lady at the phils embassy saying she had tried to call me and could I please call her back which I did. She told me that a change of name by deed poll in the UK is not recognised in Philippines and that the only way we could amend her passport was to hire a lawyer in phils and apply over there for a court order to have her birth certificate amended, which would then make it possible to have her passport amended.

This leaves us in a very strange predicament as we've already had her name changed with regard to just about every official department we could think of in the UK, but for the time being, as far as travel goes, she will have to use her old name because that's what on her passport. I haven't really managed to think through all of the implications of doing this, or whether there might be unforseen complications waiting for us if and when we try to travel abroad.

If any of the members on here can think of any complications that may arise, please let me know.

Cheers,

Iain.