The official translation of a letter issued by the Passport Office into Spanish may be needed if a British citizen needs to prove his/her change of surname to the Spanish Authorities.
For example, if a married woman is the beneficiary of assets in Spain under a Will, but the Will indicates her maiden surname, she will have to submit the letter issued by the Passport Office together with the official translation. The letter will confirm her maiden surname and her previous passport numbers. The letter will also indicate when the passports were issued and expired.
The letter and the official translation may have to be submitted in divorce proceedings as well. The marriage may have taken place in the UK but the couple may have moved to Spain and initiated proceedings there. Unlike British women, Spanish women do not take their husbands’ surnames after getting married; therefore it is very important that the official translator includes an explanation to clarify this fact in the official translation.
The official translation of this letter may also be needed if, for example, a British citizen buys a property in Spain. The purchase deed will indicate their passport number. If the owner then sells the property but has a different passport number, they may have to prove to the Spanish Authorities that they are the same person. For this purpose, they could submit the Letter and the official translation. This will also apply to people who have changed their names by deed poll and their previous names have been registered in Spain regarding purchase, inheritance, divorce, dispute matters…