I’ve been denied a passport… for a name I changed 35 YEARS ago – officials are punishing me for no reason

A bewildered artist has been denied a British passport because of his Catholic confirmation name – even though he added it 35 years ago and has been granted several passports including it before.

Scottish-born Stewart Kenneth Moore, 56, who is also an actor, grew up in Glasgow and Aberdeen before moving as a youngster with his family to the United States.

His dual nationality means he is entitled to both a US and UK passport and he has never previously come up against obstacles in renewing either.

In 1989, Mr Moore added the name ‘Ignatius’ – after a Jesuit saint – to his everyday name after going through a Catholic confirmation and was told he could include this on his passport.

Since then, he has had several British passports issued in the name of Stewart Kenneth Ignatius Moore.

He also has all four names stated on his bank account. 

However his US passport has only ever contained his three names, Stewart Kenneth Moore – which is what he goes by professionally.

Mr Moore claims that at no time of renewal in over three decades has he been informed that the passports had to be exactly the same – until now.

Stewart Kenneth Moore, 56, was denied a British passport because of his Catholic confirmation name – even though he added it 35 years ago and has been granted several passports before

The dual national – who has had three names in his US passport and four in his UK one for decades – was unaware a law change meant his passports need to be the same

In 1989, Mr Moore added the name ‘Ignatius’ – after a Jesuit saint – to his everyday name after going through a Catholic confirmation and was told he could include this on his passport

UK officials pushed back his most recent application for a British passport because the addition of ‘Ignatius’ means it is different to his US one. 

A law change in 2015 – just a few months after Mr Moore applied for his last British passport – means that a name on a UK passport held by a dual national must now align with the names in a foreign passport.

The frustrated artist has now been told to cancel his US passport and reapply for one with all four names, before trying again for a UK one.

When he suggested dropping Ignatius from his application, he was told to provide further evidence that he goes by three, not four names, leaving him in what he describes as a ‘catch 22 situation’.

Mr Moore, who currently lives in Prague, Czech Republic, has blasted officials for forcing him to be out of pocket for a document he was previously granted without issue – and has called the bureaucracy he faces ‘absolutely bananas’. 

Speaking about his ordeal, Mr Moore told MailOnline: ‘I’ve added the name Ignatius since I was confirmed by the Catholic Church in 1989.

‘Ignatius of Loyola was the founder of the Jesuit movement and a saint. I liked the name and at that time was interested in some of the more philosophical sides of Catholicism, so it seemed like a good choice. 

‘When it came to renewing my British passport, I made it clear that it was a name I wanted added and there were no issues. It’s been that way ever since.

‘It was allowed and was totally legal. I have always said that I’m a dual national. Every single application I’ve been asked if I hold a second passport and I’ve always been up front about that.’

Mr Moore has had only three names on his US passport (pictured), while his UK passport included his confirmation name

The frustrated artist was told to cancel his US passport (pictured) and reapply for one with all four names, before trying again for a UK one – but he says this will incur additional costs and extra bureaucracy

Mr Moore said he only ran into issues recently when he was advised that if he entered the US he should do so on his American passport – and wondered if the same applied for entering the UK.

As his British passport was near expiry, he decided to apply for a renewal, but began to worry when weeks went by without receiving anything. 

‘Eventually I heard back to say the problem is that there’s an extra name on my British application that’s not on my American passport.

‘The point is they’ve had my four names all this time, and they’ve always known that I’m a dual national. That’s always been on the record. 

‘But now they are saying the only way you can go forward is if I cancel my American passport, reapply with the fourth name and then try again with the British passport.

‘I even asked them if they could just take off my confirmation name to make it match the American passport, but they said I had to provide more documents of proof that I only use three names.

‘I was just trying to make sure everything is exactly right and to be honest. 

‘If I had only put three names on my application they might have said: ‘Oh, wait a second, what happened to Ignatius?’ It feels like a catch 22.’

Mr Moore feels he has been ‘penalised for trying to be accurate’ – and feels aggrieved that the addition of a religious name has come up against bureaucracy

Mr Moore said he now faces not only losing the £100 he originally paid for the application, but also shelling out another £100 for a new US passport and a further £100 for a second British passport application – with no guarantee he will get the document. 

‘I feel like I’m being penalised for trying to be accurate,’ he said, adding that he feels frustrated by the bureaucracy he has come up against.

‘I also feel aggrieved that I was allowed to add the religious name, but now all these years later it’s becoming an issue.

‘At the end of the day this is my name. This has been my name for all these years.

‘I find it ironic that they didn’t have any objection to the name on the bank account paying for the application. 

‘They were fine to take the money, but not to give out the passport.

‘All my last passports have had that name – so what has changed now?’

MailOnline contacted the Home Office, which stated that since 2015 it has been a requirement for dual nationals who hold a foreign passport to ensure their names align in both passports.

It explained the policy is in place for security reasons, including to mitigate against the risk of a person travelling on different identities to avoid detection by border agencies. 

A spokesperson said: ‘A British passport is only issued once all checks are satisfactorily completed and in, some instances, further information may be requested to support an application.

‘It is our longstanding policy not to comment on individual cases.’

MailOnline has previously reported on issues raised by names on passport applications. 

Eileen De Bont, 53, from north Wales, pictured in 2009, legally became Pudsey Bear – the name of Children In Need’s beloved teddy mascot – after running an eBay auction

Mrs Bear said she had her first passport application thrown out in 2009 – and was advised the name could breach copyright laws ahead of applying again

Earlier this month, Eileen De Bont, 53, from north Wales, fell foul of passport officials after she legally changed her name to Pudsey Bear – the name of Children In Need’s beloved teddy mascot – as part of a fundraising challenge in 2009. 

She has been known as Pudsey Bear since that day, with her two daughters still lovingly calling her ‘Mama Bear’ nearly two decades on.

All her bank details, utility bills and medical records are in the name of the Children In Need mascot. 

Even her tarot reading business – called Northern Light Tarot, which has 32,000 subscribers on YouTube – is listed on Companies House under Mrs Pudsey Bear.

But despite the swathes of businesses and government organisations that accept Mrs Bear’s new identity, the Home Office refused to grant her a passport in 2009 after deeming her name change as ‘frivolous’.

And when she sought advice on the matter again this month, Mrs Bear was told her application could fail again because it potentially breaches copyright laws.

Last September, Home Office officials also threw out an application for the son of a solider and massive Star Wars fan, who named his child Loki Skywalker Mowbray.

The child, who was born on May 4, known as ‘Star Wars Day’ to enthusiasts, was denied a passport ‘for copyright issues’.

Soldier Christian Mowbray, pictured with his wife Becky and their three children, was told he might have to forgo his dream holiday after his young son Loki Skywalker Mowbray was denied a passport over copyright concerns

His father, Christian Mowbray, 48, who serves with the Corps of Royal Engineers at Rock Barracks near Woodbridge, Suffolk, was initially told by the Home Office to either change his son’s name or get permission from the copyright owner, Disney.

Mr Mowbray and his wife Becky, a former soldier, had been looking forward to a holiday in the Dominican Republic before the furore.

It would mark the family’s first time away since 2014 due to their demanding work schedules and Becky’s struggles with Complex PTSD.

Skywalker is the family name of characters at the heart of the Star Wars film franchise, which is owned by Disney.

But after news of the row broke, Home Office officials did a U-turn and issued a passport.

Aside from name issues, small paper tears and ink stains are among the petty hindrances which have seen families turned back at airport check-ins.

Last May, mother-of-one Charlotte Estlick found her package holiday to Dalaman in Turkey was in jeopardy after officials stopped her husband Myk, 28, from flying due to his passport being lightly marked with blue ink after appearing to have got wet.

Another traveller who found himself frustrated was 31-year-old Nathan Barnes, from Norwich, who was told he could not fly because his passport was more than 10 years old – despite not having expired yet.

Myk and Charlotte Estlick, pictured on a holiday in Turkey last year, were unable to return in May after an ink stain on his passport saw the family turned away by airline staff

Charlotte Estlick posted photographs of the ‘near invisible’ stain on Facebook

Bethany Senior, from Oldham, had a millimetre-long tear in her passport, spotted by Qatar Airways staff at Manchester Airport

He was travelling with his fiancé to visit family in Limoge, France, but fell foul of a new rule brought in since Britain left the EU.

Meanwhile, another devastated family spent £7,000 on a luxury family holiday to Thailand only to be rejected at the airport when check-in staff discovered a tiny tear in a passport.

Oldham childminder Suzanne Senior’s daughter Bethany had a millimetre-long tear in her passport, spotted by Qatar Airways staff also at Manchester Airport.

And a Ryanair passenger was unable to board a flight for a £1,000 dream holiday because of a tiny tear in his passport, it was reported last January.

Jake Burton, 19, from Mansfield, was due to go on his first-ever flight to Benidorm with his parents to celebrate the New Year.

But the discount airline told him he was unable to board after he failed the final check.