Naturalisation, Registration, Dual Citizenship and name change

[lordna]

My wife and step daughter now have ILR, and will be able to apply for Naturalisation and registration in early june, having then been here 3 years. After that we intend applying for British passports, then dual citizenship with the Philippines so they retain nationality as Filipinas.

My step-daughter currently uses her mothers maiden name, and my wife obviously uses my surname in all documents.ie passports and BRP. However, my step-daughter would like to take my surname but we are not sure when would be the best time to do it. When you re apply for Filipino dual citizenship you need to get a new Filipino passport apparently. Is it best to change her name BEFORE registration as a UK citizen or after?

Anybody else done this?

If we change her name by deed poll BEFORE applying for registration, do we also need to change her Biometric Residence Permit to reflect her new name or will the old BRP still be acceptable for registration purposes? The BRP leaflet says you need to report name changes within 3 months. Then it seems to make sense to get the name change just before applying for registration as the BRP becomes redundant once you are registered British as we here do not(yet) carry identity cards.


After gaining registration we will 1). Obtain British Passports 2) Apply for Dual citizenship which means applying for a NEW philippine passports.

Would love to hear from others who have been through this.

[hawk]

why change it by deedpole it cost more money you can go to a solictor and they will fill out a name change and stamp it you can legaly change to that name it costs around £2 i know i had to do it way back and its ok with passport change and other changes you may do why not wait till after june then change name then its only cost you once instead of extra money doing before good luck

[lordna]

My wife and step daughter now have ILR, and will be able to apply for Naturalisation and registration in early june, having then been here 3 years. After that we intend applying for British passports, then dual citizenship with the Philippines so they retain nationality as Filipinas.

My step-daughter currently uses her mothers maiden name, and my wife obviously uses my surname in all documents.ie passports and BRP. However, my step-daughter would like to take my surname but we are not sure when would be the best time to do it. When you re apply for Filipino dual citizenship you need to get a new Filipino passport apparently. Is it best to change her name BEFORE registration as a UK citizen or after?

Anybody else done this?

If we change her name by deed poll BEFORE applying for registration, do we also need to change her Biometric Residence Permit to reflect her new name or will the old BRP still be acceptable for registration purposes? The BRP leaflet says you need to report name changes within 3 months. Then it seems to make sense to get the name change just before applying for registration as the BRP becomes redundant once you are registered British as we here do not(yet) carry identity cards.


After gaining registration we will 1). Obtain British Passports 2) Apply for Dual citizenship which means applying for a NEW philippine passports.

Would love to hear from others who have been through this.

Can't believe only one person has anything to say on this. Is there not anyone else that has done this or can advise?

[joebloggs]

probably wise to change her surname before you submit the MN1 form.

if i remember correctly you can not change her name on her birth cert and the name in her filipino passport

the other option is you adopt her .. the best option if you have the money and time..

or lastly do nothing, i've got a stepson he still uses his mom's maiden name, we've never had a problem

http://www.ukdp.co.uk/name-change-child-absent-father/

[lordna]

probably wise to change her surname before you submit the MN1 form.

if i remember correctly you can not change her name on her birth cert and the name in her filipino passport

the other option is you adopt her .. the best option if you have the money and time..

or lastly do nothing, i've got a stepson he still uses his mom's maiden name, we've never had a problem

http://www.ukdp.co.uk/name-change-child-absent-father/

I sent an mail via the Philippines embassy London website but never got a reply , so today rang them to find out if it was acceptable to Philippines authorities to change a name by Deed Poll. Apparently the Deed Poll is NOT recognised by the Philippines so if my step daughter wants my surname Officially then I would have to adopt her. Consequently we will do this some other time after obtaining citizenship.

[joebloggs]

yes it's not recognized in the Phils, adoption is a long process thou, and probably expensive..

[Moy]

i got same probs but we are trying to explain it to the daughter instead..imp is we can get her passport and apply at the same time with me..

[Moy]

yes it's not recognized in the Phils, adoption is a long process thou, and probably expensive..

i work in a law office before if i rem.. takes 6 months to few years for adoption to process depends on the circumtances as well and background of the child.. and roughly you pay the laywer for about 50,000-150,000 pesos doing all the paperworks and thats 7 years ago

[Terpe]

I sent an mail via the Philippines embassy London website but never got a reply , so today rang them to find out if it was acceptable to Philippines authorities to change a name by Deed Poll. Apparently the Deed Poll is NOT recognised by the Philippines so if my step daughter wants my surname Officially then I would have to adopt her. Consequently we will do this some other time after obtaining citizenship.

I may have posted this in the wrong thread. Anyway I'll paste it here as well:-

I know what you mean lordna, but just allow me some brainstorming and see what you think.

You are all living here in UK.
As a British Citizen, Deed poll is allowed and recognised (even by the passport office too).
As a registered British Citizen your step daughter would have sufficient documentation to be known by whatever name she (you) chooses.

There would be no real need for her to have a Philippine Passport at all at this time.
(My wife still did not yet renew her Philippine passport.)

So, I'm just wondering what it is that the Philippines/Philippines Embassy will not recognise?
Her British Passport? Her Naturalisation Certificate?
They don't do that anyway unless a new Oath Taking has taken place at the Embassy.
At some time she may well wish to make an oath taking to re-acquire Philippine Citizenship.
But that all in the future, and besides her Philippine Naturalisation Certificate will be sufficient for her to enter Philippines as a Philippine citizen even with a British Passport.

Sorry just thinking out loud.
I don't know how many twists and turns are involved with adoption, but it sounds like it might be a very challenging process.

Just trying help.

[lordna]

Thanks Terpe for your comments and thoughts which are, as usual, very helpful and thought provoking.

I think my initial query was really WHEN is the best time to get her name changed by whatever means and as we are due to apply for Naturalisation & registration anytime after June 7th, i would rather there were no complications, so i think we will do that first then worry about the name change after.

My wife would like to get the oath taking and dual citizenship sorted out as soon as possible. There really is no reason why my step-daughter can't change her surname unofficially for the time being. I think my concern is if there could be a complication having a UK passport in one name and getting the phillipine authorities to do the oath taking/issue another passport in her old name.

I was rather hoping someone on the forum had done this before but evidently not. Another way of looking at this is my step daughter is currently 7 and if she marries (highly likely) then will take her husbands name anyway!

The philippines embassy did give me a number for the legalisation department (0207 451 1815) who might better answer my query but as yet i have been unable to get an answer on this number. I was not aware that you could enter the philippines with the naturalisation certificate..that's intereersting.

[joebloggs]

Thanks Terpe for your comments and thoughts which are, as usual, very helpful and thought provoking.

I think my initial query was really WHEN is the best time to get her name changed by whatever means and as we are due to apply for Naturalisation & registration anytime after June 7th, i would rather there were no complications, so i think we will do that first then worry about the name change after.

My wife would like to get the oath taking and dual citizenship sorted out as soon as possible. There really is no reason why my step-daughter can't change her surname unofficially for the time being. I think my concern is if there could be a complication having a UK passport in one name and getting the phillipine authorities to do the oath taking/issue another passport in her old name.

I was rather hoping someone on the forum had done this before but evidently not. Another way of looking at this is my step daughter is currently 7 and if she marries (highly likely) then will take her husbands name anyway!

The philippines embassy did give me a number for the legalisation department (0207 451 1815) who might better answer my query but as yet i have been unable to get an answer on this number. I was not aware that you could enter the philippines with the naturalisation certificate..that's intereersting.

someone has done something similar but i think they adopted the child. i'll try and you a link later, got to work now..

[Terpe]

.... I was not aware that you could enter the philippines with the naturalisation certificate..that's intereersting.

My wife hasn't had a Philippine passport ever since they cancelled it when she did her Oath Taking at the Embassy.
Whenever we visit Philippines she uses her British Passport, and uses her Citizenship Certificate to prove she is Filipina.
We always get BB stamped for 1 year.

I think she's still got the grumps since they took her old passport and cancelled it infront of her without explaining what they were doing.
Do be aware that the Phils Embassy will do that. If you have shorterm travel plans better to secure a British passport first so that at least you have a travel document.

I think my concern is if there could be a complication having a UK passport in one name and getting the phillipine authorities to do the oath taking/issue another passport in her old name.

Yes, I would share that concern.

[jamesy]

hi terpe were more or less in the same boat as lordna,please can you explain what you mean by your wife uses her ,citizenship certificate in the philippines ,to prove she is filipina ,what is that, certificate

[Terpe]

.......please can you explain what you mean by your wife uses her ,citizenship certificate in the philippines ,to prove she is filipina ,what is that, certificate

That is her Identification Certificate relating to her Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Oath Taking at the Philippines Embassy.

When my wife travels to the Philippines she is using her British passport. In order to secure a BB visa-free period of 1 year for both of us she needs to prove she is a Filipino citizen.
Also, it's useful if she wishes to take up any opportunities available only for Filipino citizens.

[jamesy]

hi were going to be hopefully in the same position as you if my wife and stepdaughter are granted their indefinite leave to remain.our next step would be british passports for both of them aswell ,i also have looked in to ,the adoption of my step daughter it looks quite straight forward ,if you log on to gov.uk child adoption there are a full set of guidelines regarding all the requirements and fee etc ,the only difference between us is the fee differs between scotland ,and england ,we also will be looking at naturalisation for them both ,from what i can see in the form and guide notes mn1 its also a costly process ,673, for my stepdaughter and 874 for my wife ,plus we cant register untill my stepdaughter has resided here for two years as thats one of the requirments as she is over 13 years old ,the cost isnt a worry its just the stress we all have to go through ,we will have to wait another year before we could register them as part of a family registration as she has just been here over a year ,i have also been told by a friend that if you adopt then your daughter will have,automatic acquisation of british citizenship,therefor there would be no need to include her in your wifes application for naturalisation as she would already have british citizenship if your adoption was granted ,plus she would automatically take your sir name aswell ,and the bonus is so iv been told is it will only cost aroun 70 pounds to do this through your local authority, as for the dual citizen ship we will have to do that aswell but we are facing exactly the same difficulty as you ,total lack of help from the phills embassy ,were in the dark regarding this too ,if i hear anything that might help ill let you know

[jamesy]

so do you mean she only went to the Filipino embassy in London to swear an oath for to be given a certificate to prove Filipino nationality ,rather than going for dual citizenship as in a Filipino passport, can you explain whats the best option a dual passport or the certificate ,and would both my wife and daughter have to acquire this. excuse my lack of understanding, I'm Scottish.i should be highly intelligent as i attended one of the best boarding schools in scotland but i was a rebel .

[lordna]

hi were going to be hopefully in the same position as you if my wife and stepdaughter are granted their indefinite leave to remain.our next step would be british passports for both of them aswell ,i also have looked in to ,the adoption of my step daughter it looks quite straight forward ,if you log on to gov.uk child adoption there are a full set of guidelines regarding all the requirements and fee etc ,the only difference between us is the fee differs between scotland ,and england ,we also will be looking at naturalisation for them both ,from what i can see in the form and guide notes mn1 its also a costly process ,673, for my stepdaughter and 874 for my wife ,plus we cant register untill my stepdaughter has resided here for two years as thats one of the requirments as she is over 13 years old ,the cost isnt a worry its just the stress we all have to go through ,we will have to wait another year before we could register them as part of a family registration as she has just been here over a year ,i have also been told by a friend that if you adopt then your daughter will have,automatic acquisation of british citizenship,therefor there would be no need to include her in your wifes application for naturalisation as she would already have british citizenship if your adoption was granted ,plus she would automatically take your sir name aswell ,and the bonus is so iv been told is it will only cost aroun 70 pounds to do this through your local authority, as for the dual citizen ship we will have to do that aswell but we are facing exactly the same difficulty as you ,total lack of help from the phills embassy ,were in the dark regarding this too ,if i hear anything that might help ill let you know

Very interesting what your saying about adoption. However, given that we can apply for citizenship in June, we will be going ahead with this for both my wife and her daughter. The reason being the adoption process may take some time and we have decided we need to get all this completed before the government decide to "move the goalposts" again. We will look at adoption after. Thanks for your input.

[Terpe]

so do you mean she only went to the Filipino embassy in London to swear an oath for to be given a certificate to prove Filipino nationality ,rather than going for dual citizenship as in a Filipino passport, can you explain whats the best option a dual passport or the certificate ,and would both my wife and daughter have to acquire this. excuse my lack of understanding, I'm Scottish.i should be highly intelligent as i attended one of the best boarding schools in scotland but i was a rebel .

Are you being serious?

I think you'd better do some research on how to achieve British / Filipino dual citizenship to gain a better understanding

[Arthur Little]

so do you mean she only went to the Filipino embassy in London to swear an oath for to be given a certificate to prove Filipino nationality ,rather than going for dual citizenship as in a Filipino passport, can you explain whats the best option a dual passport or the certificate ,and would both my wife and daughter have to acquire this. excuse my lack of understanding, I'm Scottish.i should be highly intelligent as i attended one of the best boarding schools in scotland but i was a rebel .

Jamesy ... like you, I'm Scottish and MY wife is ALSO from the Philppines. Last August, she became a naturalised British Citizen. This, in turn, entitled her to a British Passport; all well and good. However, it also meant [temporarily] renouncing her Philippines' Citizenship.

Now, due to the fact that she'd been a teacher for 22 years back home - and, in order to safeguard her Government Pension - it made sense for her to swear an Oath of Allegiance to become a dual citizen.

Philippines in the UK is, first and foremost, represented at its Embassy in London; in addition to which, I believe, there's a Consular presence in other major cities throughout the land.

One such Centre is located in *Edinburgh and, as it happens, my wife learned from a friend that *they'd arranged to conduct a series of Oathtaking Ceremonies (and simultaneously deal with Phils Passport renewals) by appointment only on Saturday 27 April, between the hours of 9.00am & 5.00pm - subject, of course, to prior completion of an appropriate online application.

So ... ... effectively, WE ended up getting "the best of BOTH worlds", you might say.

[Michael Parnham]

Jamesy ... like you, I'm Scottish and MY wife is ALSO from the Philppines. Last August, she became a naturalised British Citizen. This, in turn, entitled her to a British Passport; all well and good. However, it also meant [temporarily] renouncing her Philippines' Citizenship.

Now, due to the fact that she'd been a teacher for 22 years back home - and, in order to safeguard her Government Pension - it made sense for her to swear an Oath of Allegiance to become a dual citizen.

Philippines in the UK is, first and foremost, represented at its Embassy in London; in addition to which, I believe, there's a Consular presence in other major cities throughout the land.

One such Centre is located in *Edinburgh and, as it happens, my wife learned from a friend that *they'd arranged to conduct a series of Oathtaking Ceremonies (and simultaneously deal with Phils Passport renewals) by appointment only on Saturday 27 April, between the hours of 9.00am & 5.00pm - subject, of course, to prior completion of an appropriate online application.

So ... ... effectively, WE ended up getting "the best of BOTH worlds", you might say.

Some very useful information Arthur!

[jamesy]

you're welcome

[jamesy]

hi arthur pleased to meet you and thanks for the info ,i hope you have more luck then we did with the philippine consular weve already been aquainted her name is gladys corbet ,her place is in sighthill edinburugh in a building that sells antiques called shapes ,she helped us out on a very importaint matter and later on when the .... hit the fan as so to speak we needed advice off her again we continuously tried to email her but were totally ignored ,it cost us a fortune to resolve our issue ,where as she could have fixed it in a minuite as it was a problem regarding information about paperwork we paid her to process

[jamesy]

is there any way i can get a post back up on this i spent about two hours this evening writing one and the computor logged me off this website and the post i was writing has gone

[jamesy]

yes thats what i was trying to do i was asking you ,some of us on here dont have the knowledge and exsperience,that some people have accuried through many years , some of us are still young and eagar for advice ,but not to worry a kind.scottish gentleman came to our assistance,but thanks any way for your thoughtful and kind concerns