ACRO Certificate After a Name Change or Marriage: FAQ

How marriage or a name change affects your ACRO Police Certificate application: which name to use, which documents to prepare, apostille rules and visa validity.

Published September 16, 2026 12 min read

Changed your surname after a wedding, or through a deed poll, and now a visa application is asking for an ACRO Police Certificate? A name change complicates the process far less than people fear. You apply in your current legal name, list your former name in the form, and keep your marriage certificate or deed poll to hand in case anyone asks for proof. This page answers the questions people actually type into a search box in this situation: which name to use, what documents to prepare, where it gets sent, and how the apostille fits in.

Which name should you apply under?

Apply in your current legal name and declare any previous names in the former names field of the application. ACRO searches its records against every name you provide, so the former name is not a formality: it is how the search finds everything recorded about you. If you leave a former name out and something is recorded under it, the certificate could come back as a No Trace when it should not, and you would have to redo the whole application.

The name printed on the certificate follows what you entered, so double-check the spelling before you submit. It should match the passport you plan to use for the visa, because that is the document the embassy will compare it against.

Documents that prove a name change

A marriage certificate is the standard proof if you took a spouse’s surname. If you changed your name in any other way, a deed poll or an equivalent statutory declaration does the job. You do not normally attach these documents to the ACRO application itself, but keep the original or a certified copy nearby: an embassy, a translation agency or ACRO itself may ask to see them later.

What is an ACRO Police Certificate?

An ACRO Police Certificate is an official summary of any convictions recorded against you in the UK, issued specifically for visa and immigration purposes. It is produced by the ACRO Criminal Records Office, the body that handles criminal record checks for people who have lived in the UK and now need one for another country.

Immigration authorities abroad request it because it comes from a single national source rather than an individual local force. If your visa checklist says “police certificate” and you used to live in the UK, this is the document it means.

The same office also issues the International Child Protection Certificate (ICCP), a separate check for people working with children overseas. If your role abroad involves childcare or education, ask the employer which of the two documents they need, because they are not interchangeable.

What does the certificate contain?

The certificate lists your personal details, including your current name and any former names you declared, together with your date of birth and the address history you entered in the form. The core of the document is the result itself: either a No Trace line, meaning nothing disclosable was found, or details of any convictions that are disclosable under the disclosure rules.

Keep in mind that the certificate reflects UK record-keeping, not the laws of the country you are moving to. Some destinations apply their own filtering rules on top, which is one more reason to read the embassy requirements before you order anything.

Applying from outside the UK

You can apply from anywhere in the world: the whole application runs online, from the form to the payment. You will need scans of your documents and an email address you actually check, because that is where queries and status updates arrive.

If someone else is managing the paperwork for you, a letter of authorisation lets them deal with correspondence on your behalf, though the certificate is issued about you personally. Apply well before your embassy appointment: if a query comes back, for example because a former name needs clarifying, you want buffer time to answer it.

Where the certificate is sent

Delivery options are set out during the application, and they matter more when you are applying from abroad. Check which delivery methods are currently offered, and give an address where post is genuinely received.

If you are between addresses, or relying on a family member to forward mail, factor that into your timeline. A certificate that goes astray means reordering.

Police certificates and visa applications

Police certificates entered UK immigration procedure through the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC1078), which introduced criminal record certificate requirements for certain visa routes (GOV.UK). For most applicants, though, the certificate is requested by the country they are moving to, not by the UK.

The embassy or immigration authority of the destination country decides whether you need one, which certificate it accepts, and whether it must be legalised. That is why the first step of any application is reading the specific embassy checklist rather than generic advice: requirements differ not just between countries but between visa categories.

How recent does the certificate need to be?

As a working rule, embassies expect a police certificate that is recent, and six months from the issue date is the figure most commonly used. The exact cutoff is set by each authority, and some count from the issue date while others look at the date the embassy receives the document. If your certificate will be close to that mark by the time of your interview, order a fresh one rather than arguing the point.

If your name does not match your passport

The name on your ACRO certificate should match the passport you are using for the visa. If you applied under your new name but your passport is still in your maiden name, or the other way round, an embassy may query the mismatch and ask for your marriage certificate or deed poll to bridge the gap.

The cleanest fix is sequencing: renew your passport first if a renewal is already planned, then order the certificate in the name that appears on it. If a mismatch is unavoidable, attach the name-change document to your visa file proactively instead of waiting for a query.

Notary and apostille requirements

An apostille is the certificate the UK attaches to a document so that other countries under the Hague Apostille Convention accept it. Two things catch people out here. First, e-apostilles are not available for ACRO police certificates or for marriage, birth and other civil status certificates, so the paper route is the only option (GOV.UK, checked 14 September 2026). Second, an apostille confirms the document is genuine; it does not change what the certificate says and does not extend how long it stays valid.

If your destination country is not part of the apostille system, the document may need embassy attestation instead, a chain of certifications that ends at the destination country’s embassy. A notary public comes into the picture for certified copies or notarised translations, which some embassies require alongside the original.

Should you apostille your marriage certificate too?

Very often, yes. If the embassy wants proof of your name change, it may want that proof legalised to the same standard as the police certificate. Check the embassy’s document list: if the marriage certificate appears on it, plan for two apostilles rather than one, and order both early, because each adds processing time to your schedule.

ACRO certificate vs DBS check

These two get confused constantly, and the confusion is understandable because both are UK criminal record checks. The difference is the purpose. A DBS check is an employment screening tool used inside the UK, for roles like teaching or healthcare. An ACRO Police Certificate exists for use abroad, in visa and immigration processes.

You cannot swap one for the other: an embassy will not accept a DBS certificate, and a UK employer will not accept an ACRO certificate in place of a DBS check.

ACRO certificate vs Subject Access Request

A Subject Access Request (SAR) is your right under data protection law to see the personal data an organisation holds about you, including police records. It sounds similar to a police certificate, and it is not.

A SAR is for you, to check what is on file and possibly challenge it. It is not formatted for embassies and it is not accepted for visa purposes. If the goal is a visa, order the ACRO certificate. If the goal is finding out what the police hold on you before you apply, a SAR is the tool for that job.

What to prepare before you apply

Have the documents in one place before you start the form. After a name change, the list looks like this:

• Your current passport, the one you will use for the visa.

• Your marriage certificate or deed poll, as proof of the name change.

• Details of every former name, with spellings you can verify.

• Your address history for the period the form asks about.

• Proof of your current address, if follow-up queries require it.

Which countries ask for an ACRO certificate

ACRO police certificates are a standard requirement for visas to Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Cayman Islands, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. The list is not exhaustive: other countries request UK police certificates too, and each embassy sets its own rules on validity and legalisation.

If your destination is on this list, treat the certificate as a fixed part of your document pack. If it is not, check the embassy’s own website, because requirements change without much notice.

Using the certificate overseas: legalisation

A certificate fresh from ACRO is enough for some embassies and not for others. Where legalisation is required, the chain is the apostille from the UK legalisation office, followed by any additional step the destination country demands, such as embassy attestation or a sworn translation.

Build these steps into your timeline in the right order. The apostille goes on the original certificate, translations are often done after legalisation, and some embassies want the whole pack submitted together. Doing the stages out of order is the most common way people end up paying twice.

A worked example

Situation: you married eight months ago, took your spouse’s surname, renewed your passport into the new name, and now Canada has asked for a police certificate as part of a visa application.

Steps: you complete the ACRO application in your current name, enter your maiden name in the former names field, and pay for the service. While you wait, you check the Canadian document list, confirm whether an apostille is needed, and if it is, send the original certificate for legalisation as soon as it arrives. Your marriage certificate stays in the same folder in case the embassy asks how your name changed.

Result: the certificate arrives showing both names, it matches your passport, and the visa file has no gaps for a case officer to query.

A name change adds one field and one document to the process, nothing more. Declare the former name, keep the marriage certificate or deed poll to hand, and sequence the passport, the certificate and the apostille in that order. Everything else is the same application everyone else makes.

This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Apostilles for UK public documents are issued exclusively by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office; this site is not affiliated with any government body. Please consult a qualified professional before making decisions.

FAQ

It shows your personal details, including any former names you declared, and either a No Trace result or details of convictions recorded against you.

Most immigration authorities expect a recent certificate, but the exact rule is set by each embassy, so confirm before you apply.

No. An apostille only confirms the authenticity of the document, and the certificate itself ages from its issue date regardless of legalisation.

Not necessarily. Check what your embassy or immigration authority actually asks for first, because some accept the certificate on its own.

It depends on the legalisation office and the service level you choose, so build extra time into your visa timeline.

An ACRO certificate is designed for visas and immigration abroad, while a DBS check is used for employment screening inside the UK.

Yes. The application is submitted online and can be completed from anywhere in the world.

Yes. Listing every name you have been known by helps ACRO match all of your records and avoids an incomplete result.

Helpful guides

Which UK documents can be apostilled: certificates, degrees, company and court papers, e-Apostille rules, FCDO rejections and embassy attestation explained.

Which countries accept a UK apostille, which require embassy attestation, and country-by-country guides for UK documents used abroad.

Apostille meaning explained for UK documents: what the FCDO certificate looks like, which documents qualify, e-Apostille and when embassy legalisation applies.

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