Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice
Remove need for consent from married spouse to change surname
Closed
43 signatures
What the petition asks
If a woman in an acrimonious divorce that is taking time to finalise wants to change her surname back to her maiden name she can only do this by deed poll. She must attach a consent letter from her spouse to the forms in LOCO19 pack.
A divorced woman will have a final order from the court stating her marriage has ended. To change her surname back to her maiden name she can give her marriage certificate and the final order to organisations such as DVLC to do this.
A woman who is still married can only change her surname by deed poll and must attach a permission letter from her spouse stating they have no objection. This allows a spouse to control an ex-partner. This disproportionately affects women.
A woman who is still married can only change her surname by deed poll and must attach a permission letter from her spouse stating they have no objection. This allows a spouse to control an ex-partner. This disproportionately affects women.
Timeline
| 3 Aug 2022 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 17 Feb 2023 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
43
Status
Closed
Department
Ministry of Justice
Opened
3 Aug 2022
Closed
17 Feb 2023
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.