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My divorce will be finalized in a month, and I also have overseas travel plans in two months. I'd like to get my passport in advance and I know it'll probably take about a month expedited to get to me, and there are other arrangements that need to be made.

My current issue is TECHNICALLY I will be married once I submit the information in the time period that makes sense for me, but by the time I get my passport I will be fully divorced. Would It be wise to file as married (to avoid punishment for lying) or to file as single, as that will be my status by the time I am travelling? Thanks!

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    Anything could happen and your divorce doesn’t get finalized when you expect. I’ll give a tax analogy, if you plan to get married on January 2nd doesn’t mean you can file your taxes for this year as married. 😊
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Aug 6 '21 at 16:48
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    Are there countries where you apply for passports as a couple/family? For Australian passports I don't think there even is anywhere on the form to specify a spouse. The closest is the emergency contact, which can be whoever you want to put down.
    – curiousdannii
    Aug 7 '21 at 5:37
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    @curiousdannii traditionally, a single passport could include multiple members of a single family, though this practice has largely fallen out of use. Still, some countries might mention the marital status in an individual passport, and some list the spouse's name, perhaps optionally, as additional information. Even if there is no mention of the marital status in the document itself, it's still possible for the application to ask for that information.
    – phoog
    Aug 7 '21 at 16:21
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Give your correct status at the time of applying.

Everything else is false information.

It's far from unusual for someone's status to change soon after they apply, and there will be no bad effects on your travel. Also you don't know with 100% certainty that you will be divorced in a month.

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    Indeed. On the forms in the UK, it specifically states that "If you have made a false statement on this form, you could be prosecuted and could go to prison" - That includes putting in details about things that are going to happen (but haven't yet), such as changes of address.
    – Valorum
    Aug 7 '21 at 16:11
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    @Valorum putting a future address without noting it as such may be false information, but a statement of future plans isn't false per se,
    – phoog
    Aug 7 '21 at 16:23

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