Reverting to a name you used before marriage is still a legal name change, with the same paperwork trail as taking a name on.
Reverting to a maiden name is still a legal change
Agencies do not treat "going back" to an old name as automatic. From their side, your record shows one name, and you are asking to change it to another.
That means the same affidavit step applies as it would for any other change of name, not a lighter version of it.
What proves the divorce
Immigration's document list for this kind of change asks for a decree absolute or a declaration of divorce, alongside the affidavit itself.
Keep the court order or decree together with the affidavit. One names the marriage that ended; the other names the change you are making because of it.
What the affidavit should say
State your name during the marriage, the name you are reverting to or adopting, and that this follows a divorce.
A commissioner for oaths, a notary public, or a judge of the Federal High Court or a higher court takes the oath and stamps the affidavit. Keep the sealed original; you will need to show it more than once.
Updating your NIN and passport after
Once the affidavit and your proof of divorce are ready, the same agency processes apply as for any other name change.
See changing your name on your passport after marriage, which also covers what immigration asks for after a divorce, and changing your surname on your NIN after marriage for the NIN side.
A newspaper notice often goes with this change too. See the newspaper notice after a change of name affidavit.
If children's documents are also affected
A divorce sometimes brings up questions about a child's surname too, separate from your own name change.
That is a more sensitive legal question than a straightforward personal name change, and courts treat it with more care. Get advice from a family lawyer before assuming the same affidavit process applies to a child's record.
What it costs at court
The government charge for swearing this affidavit is a small stamp duty, similar to any other one-page affidavit. The court where you swear it sets the exact figure.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a divorce automatically reverts your name everywhere. Each agency still needs its own updated application.
- Submitting the affidavit without the decree absolute or declaration of divorce alongside it.
- Using a different spelling of the reverted name across the affidavit, the newspaper notice and later applications.
- Waiting for every document to be perfect before starting, rather than getting the affidavit sworn early and building from there.
For a name change after marriage instead, see change of name affidavit after marriage. For the full set, see our affidavit guides.