Britain’s most tattooed man is having trouble getting a passport after changing his name to ‘King of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-Ite’.
The 34-year-old, previously known as Mathew Whelan, was surprised when his passport renewal was rejected on the grounds his new name was not appropriate.
‘This is a breach of my human rights,’ he said. ’They want to put my birth name on my passport. But that is not my name any more.’
The Passport Office denied the application by Body Art (his short name), despite the fact his unusual title already appears on his driving licence.
The government agency told the media that a policy section regarding ‘strings of words or phrases’ meant his name was not permissible.
Mr Art has spent nearly £30,000 ($56,000) covering most of his body in tattoos and was hoping to work overseas when he received his new passport.
He has now complained and is waiting for a response.
