Changes of Name By Marriage or by Court Order

If you have changed your name by marriage or by court order, you may apply for a new passport to be issued in your new name. If your passport was issued more than 12 months ago, you should follow the instructions for routine passport renewal.

If your passport was issued within the last 12 months, you may follow the instructions below.

Application Requirements

Please submit the following by Royal Mail Special Delivery or via the Embassy's appointed courier service:

• Your current U.S. passport;



• Your original marriage certificate or a court order;



• Passport application form DS-5504: Please ignore pages one and two of the printed instruction pages, as they do not apply when applying for your passport in the United Kingdom. Follow the instructions on this page. Form DS-5504 must be printed on separate sheets of paper; do NOT print this form on front and back of the same sheet. If you experience trouble with the Passport Application Wizard, click here for Form DS-5504 [PDF]. For tips on completing the DS-5504 [PDF], please follow this link;



• Two identical passport photographs: The Embassy will reject any photographs that do not meet the specified requirements. Vending machine photographs and photographs printed on a home computer are unacceptable;



• Fees: There is no fee for this service.

Applying by Royal Mail Special Delivery

Please submit your passport application, along with all supporting documents and photos, only by using the Royal Mail "Special Delivery" service (available at any UK Post Office). Please do not use the regular mail service. Your envelope should be addressed to:

Passport-by-Mail Service
American Citizen Services
U.S. Embassy
5 Upper Grosvenor Street
London
W1A 2LQ

To ensure the safe return of your passports, you should also enclose a pre-paid Special Delivery self-addressed return envelope that shows postage paid up to 500 grams. Inquiries regarding Special Delivery Mail should be directed to your local Post Office. As the Embassy does not keep track of Special Delivery numbers, you are advised to keep a record of your Special Delivery tracking number so you can track your passport's return to you.

Applying via Secure Mail Services (SMS)

SMS will collect your documents, deliver them to the Embassy, and return them to you once processing has been completed. Detailed information on SMS services and booking is available by calling 0870-950-1760. [Disclaimer]

Processing Time

An application for a full-validity (ten years for adults) passport will be sent to the United States for printing with a secure, photo-digitized image of the bearer. You should allow 15 working days for your application to be processed.

If you are traveling within 15 working days and can provide evidence of this travel, you may be eligible for an emergency limited-validity passport.

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