If you are planning to change your current name and get a new one, there are several things that you must note before proceeding with your application.
This is important because your application can be rejected for a number of reasons. And the process can also be prolonged.
Keeping that in mind, in this post, we are talking about three top reasons why your name change application can be rejected.
Noting these, you will be able to prepare a stronger application that gets approved easily.
1. Your Name Consists Of Prohibited Characters
Legally, you can name yourself almost anything that you wish to. However, there’s a list of prohibited characters that you should avoid adding to your new name.
For example, you can’t have numerals, special characters, symbols, or made-up punctuations in your name.
Also, note that:
- Your new name shouldn’t be offensive or vulgar
- Your new name shouldn’t promote any criminal activities
- Your new name shouldn’t be a racist slur
Apart from this, if you are planning to pick a title as a part of your name, it should be one among the following accepted titles:
- Mr
- Mrs
- Miss
- Ms
- Mx
Also, if you wish to add an honorary title like Lord, Lady, Sir, Baron, Prince or Princess, you will have to present evidence. Similarly, you can’t call yourself a professor, engineer or doctor, unless you are one.
2. You Didn’t Use the Deed Poll
While some name changes may not require you to get a deed poll, others will.
For example, if you got married in the UK and have your marriage certificate, you will not need a deed poll. Similarly, if your divorce has been finalized, you will not need a deed poll to switch names.
However, in most of the other cases when you are trying to get a new name, you will need a deed poll.
For a better understanding of deed polls, you can go through this comprehensive deed poll guide.
If your name change application needs you to get a deed poll, the process will not be completed until you get it. So, be mindful of whether your application needs a deed poll or not.
3. You are Changing Name To Escape Criminal Charges
If you are facing any criminal charges against you, and are hoping to escape them by changing your name and identity, your application is bound to get rejected.
This means that, even if your intentions behind changing your name are pure, you may still have to wait until the judgement regarding those criminal charges is rolled out.
Apart from this, you can’t change your name to escape debt as well.
More Things To Keep In Mind
In the sections above, we talked about three primary reasons why your name change application can be rejected. Now we will discuss two more things to keep in mind to avoid problems that may crop up after you have changed your name.
Trademark Related Issues
Undoubtedly, you can give yourself any name that you wish to, however, it’s also important to take a look at what you do for a living.
For example, you may name yourself Ricky Gervais, as the name may not be copyrighted. However, if you are a comedian who changed names to be called Ricky Gervais, you may get in trouble.
So, beware of such issues before picking your new name.
Avoid Confusion
It’s also advisable to avoid using political statements, or a random group of words that are too offbeat for a name.
This is to avoid confusion and complications while updating your legal documents like driving license, passport, or even your schooling certificates.
Final words
Changing your name may not be the most complicated process in the world. However, if not approached correctly, your application may get rejected.
In this post, we discussed three top reasons why that can happen. Hopefully, this was helpful.
