Natalie Lamb and the changing of the title

I have finally finished my PhD. For the longest time I had decided I was going to keep everything as Miss but after actually going through the process, I have decided that I have really earned the title Dr and I fully intended to use it- for everything! Not going to lie, I also like the ambiguity of it too. A few friends I spoke to encouraged me to do it too. Although, one friend recommended I didn’t change from Miss to Dr with the NHS after a doctor’s appointment went right over her head! 

Quick list:

• Passport- stamp, envelope, proof
• Drivers licence- D1 form, stamp, envelope, proof
• HMRC
• Banks- change of name form and proof if no branch available
• Societies
• Shops

Here are the things I’ve changed my title with and how exactly I went around changing them (in the UK):

ID

Passport – This was surprisingly quick and easy. My passport was already expired. I filled out the form to request a passport renewal online. It required a new photo so I went to a photo booth to get one with a digital code. It cost £75.50 for the renewal. I followed up the online application by sending a letter from the university as proof of name change and my expired passport. I didn’t say I had changed my name- I just added the Dr title when it asked me for my name. I requested the new passport on 9th December 2021 and it arrived on 22nd. You have the page with your photo and name etc on. Opposite there is a page titled “This page is reserved for official observations”, under which it states “The holder is Doctor xxxxxx”. Pretty cool! 

Driver’s Licence – This was difficult! Since the passport worked without me filling out and posting a physical change of name form, I tried the same with my driving licence. It didn’t work. Originally, I did the online form and paid £14 to try and get my photo changed at the same time (they use the photo from your passport with the online form). They sent me a new passport with the new photo on but it was still in the name Miss. Instead, I had to fill out a physical change of name form (D1) and post it to them. You can get a D1 posted to you or you can print yourself or get one from the post office. Getting them to send it to me took just over a week so I would recommend grabbing one from the post office. The form asked for proof of name change but only referred to various marriage certificates and similar. So I also included a letter from the university as proof of name change, a cover letter saying my name had changed from Miss to Dr and my two driver’s license (the old one and the one with the new photo). 

HMRC – I filled out an online form. There was actually a Change of Title tick box. I didn’t have to send any proof.

Bank accounts

Nationwide / Santander – Super easy! For both of these I had printed out a change of name form and a letter from the university. However both of these banks said for change of title, going in person to the branch is fine. They didn’t need to see the proof. So if doing this, just go straight in and ask for a title change. They did do it wrong with Santander, I received a new card in the post. The letter was addressed Dr but the card itself had Miss printed on it! But I chatted with webchat and they changed it and sent out another new card. 

NS&I – There’s no branch near me (do they even have branches?) so I printed and filled out a change of name form which I posted, as well as a letter from the university. 

Societies / Academic Sites

• You could change your title yourself on their website: RSB (Royal Society of Biology), Institute of Water, CIWEM (Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management), Google Scholar.
• No option to change your title: IWA (International Water Association), PIG (Pipeline Industry Guild), ResearchGate, ORCID.

Shops / Services

• You could change your title yourself on their website: Tesco, Morrisons, M&S, Co-op, John Lewis, Holland and Barrett, Waterstones, WHSmith, Boots, Superdrug, Game, IKEA.
• There was no option to change your title at: Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Lidl, Costa, Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Subway, Krispy Kreme, Turtle Bay, Hotel Chocolat, McDonald's, Greggs, Paperchase, The Works, Steam, Nintendo, Microsoft, PSN, CEX, Amazon, eBay, Netflix, H&M, Matalan, Hotels.com.