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Im in a relationship with a lady who has a daughter from a previous relationship. The lady and the childs father split up before the child was born and the child was raised by her mother although both parents have a parental responsibility agreement. The daughter has the same surname as her mother, which is on her birth certificate, and has never had her biological father's surname. If I marry her mother (who will take my surname), do we need the father's consent before the daughter can take my surname too? Thanks.
I'm no expert, but I believe that you would need his permission or a court order to change the name that appears on the birth certificate, even if it's not his surname.
I would contact the Coram Children's Legal Centre (CCLC) for some free advice on where you stand legally. There's a link to their website at the foot of this page and they'll have an answer for you!
FM '70
Hi Mr A
Do you feel a particular need to change the surname - I only ask because when I married my wife, she took my name but we never even considered changing her daughter's name to mine, her surname was part of her identity (even though she has had virtually no contact with her father since about age 2) and all of her friends, schools etc knew her by that name. I certainly don't feel it had any detrimental effect on the family unit of having different surnames.
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