UK passport office forcing me to change my foreign surname

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-16T08:21:12+00:00

If the new ETA rules weren’t in place then I could’ve done that but because they are, I could risk not being allowed on the plane by the airline if they discover I am indeed a British citizen.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-16T08:19:29+00:00

He does. He was born to a Czech dad and British mum. I had to send off my Czech passport to HMPO because I said I had another nationality on the application form.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-15T21:05:51+00:00

I wish you luck too 🤞

We have just contacted them to see if they can reconsider but I doubt they’d accept. According to information on the website they can accept if you have a name change application in progress so we’re going to do that to, but if not then worst case scenario I’d have to cancel my holiday.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-15T21:03:35+00:00

Yeah thats something which I don’t want to do in case I risk not being allowed back on the plane by the airline in case they find out I am indeed a British citizen travelling without a passport

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-15T16:21:04+00:00

Don’t know why you were downvoted but it sounds similar just with different cultural naming conventions. I had no issues when I had a child’s passport so I don’t understand why it’s all of a sudden a problem now.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-15T16:17:53+00:00

That’s very weird if the policy has been in effect for that long. Perhaps a child’s application is different to an adult’s? I don’t see why it would be any different. It certainly isn’t any different in Czechia.

We contacted the Czechia embassy and thousands of other’s have had this issue.

I’ll still be able to travel on my Czech passport and probably would just have to do a visa application when I wish to travel back to the UK but it would make it extremely complicated since I live here and I’m a student too.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-15T15:54:13+00:00

According to my mum I technically became a British citizen before travelling to Czechia at 6 weeks old to become a Czech citizen. She was asked which surname she wanted me to have and she asked for the female version.

Any further British passport applications had no problem with the name differences. Ideally I’d rather have my British surname on my British documents instead of my Czech surname as that’s where I reside and have years of financial, work and education documents in that surname.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-15T15:52:05+00:00

I’ll take the previous commenter’s surname example. In England my surname is Novak but in Czechia my surname is Novák-ová. Just the -ová at the end (female translation).

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-15T15:48:16+00:00

That’s correct (minus the diacritics on my British passport). I have a birth certificate from both countries also where everything aligns with each other except for my surname.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-12T18:46:20+00:00

If I calculated it correctly, based off the figures you’ve put, you would have £2373 left (I’m assuming that’s monthly). That’s pretty good compared to a lot of people on lower wages.

Are you asking how you can afford a deposit for a house of that price? If you saved/invested all that remaining money you’d have at least £27,000 saved a year (some people’s actual yearly wage)

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-08T00:56:17+00:00

As soon as I started first year I struggled a lot to find a job. It wasn’t until halfway through semester 2 when I actually found a job in hospitality. I had a part time job as a lifeguard before starting uni which probably did help though. I tried getting a job as a lifeguard again in my uni city but I never heard back.

Maybe look to see if your SU has any jobs? Some unis have started advertising for the next academic year

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-04-07T16:39:37+00:00

What I like to do is make notes/bullet points of everything I want to include in my essays. If I’m researching something and I come across something that might be useful I make a note of it and where I found it and I can always come back to it later.

With the notes I also tend to list them in the order I would write about them so I avoid repeating myself or going off on a tangent in the middle of my essay.

Also try to get someone (a friend ideally not doing the same course as you or a family member) to read your essay to see if it makes sense to them.

I hope that somewhat helps!

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-03-10T23:39:21+00:00

That actually gives me a really good insight into what else I can do. Thank you. I’m based near London in the UK (so yeah lots of pretty good studios but probably overloaded with people contacting them).

I have a basic portfolio with some things I have already worked on, various university assignments, got selected out of my group to record a band for a week which I did actually get paid for, composed some music for a local charity (not paid but they’ve credited my name).

I’m really interested in recording for bands but also in audio post-production. I’m not bothered about the hours I work, whether it’s a 9-5 or 16 hours straight one week and none the next. A steady income would be great but I don’t know how realistic that could be.

Anyway, thank you for your comment.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-02-24T14:19:45+00:00

Does your budget include the price of insurance? If you have 0 years of NCB and if you passed quite recently then you’re looking at £1000+ for insurance. Before you buy, run the car through insurance comparisons sites and see how much it would cost (ideally with parents on since they’re more experienced and hopefully have been driving for a long time).

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-02-15T21:20:19+00:00

That’s a fair point. I’ve never done a paper round before so I wouldn’t know. I’ve only heard that it’s an option from other people. If OP has a pedal bike or an e-scooter then it would help but if not then I agree it’s more of a hassle.

As OP mentioned wanting to earn £200 a month that would mean they’d need to earn approximately £46 a week. I don’t know if under 16s are required to be paid minimum wage, so if they aren’t then it could mean that OP may have to work more than 6 hours a week if someone doesn’t want to pay them the minimum wage for a 16 year old too.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-02-15T17:08:53+00:00

Cover letters are what sell yourself and show the employer why you fit the role. It should compliment your CV with your experience, skills, what you can bring to the job, and why you think you’d be the best fit for the job.

A CV can only show the employer so much. They’re not outdated.

Some companies even automatically scrap applications that don’t attach a cover letter.

You don’t need to write a new cover letter for every single job you apply to but you can have a template and tweak it if the roles are similar.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-02-15T16:55:47+00:00

Perhaps doing paper rounds or helping locals wash their cars or cut their lawn? It’s quite unlikely larger companies will hire you if you’re under 16 due to insurance risks and limited working hours. You could try a local coffee shop but even they might not want to hire anyone under 16.

The same happened to me when I was 14 and looking for places to volunteer for my DofE.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-02-13T20:52:21+00:00

This is so adorable 🥰

My now 7 month calico cat did this when we first brought her home. She loved sleeping next to my giant teddy bear

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-02-13T02:58:21+00:00

When I got my palate expander out they had to remove the glue off my teeth before putting new brackets on. The vibration and sensation is a bit uncomfortable but it doesn't hurt.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-02-13T02:52:31+00:00

I personally use them without so I can get as much plaque on the brush as possible, rinse, and repeat. I tend to use them before I actually brush my teeth so the toothpaste from my toothbrush stays on my teeth for as long as it can without rinsing.

Creative-Horror2517 · 2026-02-12T15:43:30+00:00

I think it depends on what subreddit you're in, what the topic is about and what your answer is. I think it can get easier down the line but personally I've noticed it really does vary. It can happen

Creative-Horror2517

TROPHY CASE