Petition · past parliament

Change the law to include both parents’ names in children’s passports.

Closed 5,272 signatures

What the petition asks

600,000 women have been stopped at the border in the past five years to prove they are related to their own child. Women feel vulnerable and it causes delays - as well as being a burden for border agents.

We must recognise that, increasingly, children will not share their mothers' surnames.
Women are stopped and have no easy way of proving the relationship without their name being on their child's passport. Changing the law would not only prevent discrimination against women, but also help border staff prevent child trafficking.

1 in 7 women intend not to take their partner’s name - according to recent research by YouGov - while just 4% of women intend to give their child their name instead of the father's.

We need to debate the issue so we can discuss how to rectify the problem.

Timeline

3 Oct 2017 Petition opened for signatures
3 Apr 2018 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 5,272
Status Closed
Opened 3 Oct 2017
Closed 3 Apr 2018

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.