My wife is going for her uk Citizenship within the next week or so and I have sent 3 emails to UKBA for advice on a question with zero responses.

AS the time for the form to be sent off is rapidly counting down I am hoping someone on here can advise.

This is the general text of the email ( with a couple of alterations ) which will hopefully explain my query.

I am currently in the process of helping my wife complete her Form AN1 and becoming a British citizen.

Most of the form is simple enough but i have a question that does not appear to be covered in the Guide AN and the Booklet AN, nor can i find a definitive answer that i trust on the internet.

My question is in regard to her family name.

In her original country ( Thailand ) her name and personal papers including her Thai passport are in her maiden name. IE: Family name 'TTTTTTT'

When we married in Bangkok, we kept her name the same as it was on her Thai passport due to a time constraint we were under at the time. We have both the original Marriage certificate and an English Translation, both accepted during the original settlement visa request.

Following on from that, her Visa’s; including the indefinite leave to remain; were gained using her maiden name in order to avoid confusion whilst passing through immigration with her Thai passport still having her Thai name on it.

Now she is applying for the British citizenship and eventually a British passport, we would prefer to use her Married name instead as that is what she is known as here and it is the one she uses for banking, work etc.

It would also be of use for Photo ID and hopefully Driver licensing in the future in the UK.

How do we complete the AN1 form and what additional documentation would be needed to ensure her name as a British citizen would be the one she uses in the UK instead of her Maiden name?

IE: her married family name, 'BBBBBBBBBB'.

Yours etc....

Just to explain why this is becoming urgent, the changes to citizenship qualification will mean that if we do not send it in before October she will need to complete the UK citizenship test.

At the moment her progression in ESOL with citizenship content and her indefinite leave to remain being gained with this, means she does not need to sit the exam under the current rules.

Quite frankly although her English has improved she would find the UK Citizenship test very very hard, Hell even I would find it hard.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Merangue

Can't you just attach a similarly worded covering note with your application?

Exactly the same as situation as my wife.

Went to NCS a few weeks ago and the registrar asked us what name we wanted on the citizenship document.

We put her new "married" name.

RAZZ

Have you read the form and the guide?

From Section 1 of the form

We would expect this (name) to be the same as on your official documents. If this name is not the name used on your current passport or travel document, or is spelt differently, you must explain why on page 13

From the guide

1.7 If the names shown in section 1.5 and 1.6 are different from the names shown in your passport or they are spelt differently then please explain why on page 13 of the application form.

It's not a problem: simply complete the form using the name she wants on her citizenship certificate and explain any difference on page 13; as the form and guide say!

Hi folks.

thanks for your answers.

I can't believe I missed both the instructions in both the guide and the form itself. I must have read them from cover to cover at least 4 times each.

Don't I feel like a prat.