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Enrolled and unenrolled deed polls: the differenceAn unenrolled deed poll is one you make and keep; an enrolled one is recorded by the High Court for £53.05 and published in The Gazette. The two, side by side.
Every legal way to change your name in the UKThe five documents that can evidence a change of name in the UK, when a marriage certificate or divorce papers are enough, and when you need a deed poll.
How long it takes to change your name, from the deed poll to a new passportHow long each stage of a UK name change takes: the deed poll, the day the name is legal, a passport in the new name, the driving licence, and when it is all done.
How to change your name in the UK: the complete guideEvery step of changing your name in the UK, in order: whether you need a deed poll, choosing a name, who must agree, signing and witnessing, and who to tell.
The law on changing your name in the UKWhat the law says about changing your name in England and Wales: the common law freedom, the Act that makes a deed binding, the Children Act rules and the limits.
What is a deed poll?A deed poll is a legal document that proves a change of name. What it says, why it is binding, what it can and cannot change, and who can make one.
The deed poll itself
Adding, removing or moving a middle nameA deed poll can add, remove or reorder middle names. For a passport, dropping a middle name needs only two documents showing use; adding one needs a deed poll.
Can I change my name to anything I like?GOV.UK's rules for a new name: pronounceable, no numbers or symbols, nothing offensive, and no change to capitalisation or titles. HM Passport Office adds its own.
Can a deed poll change my title?No, and it does not need to: a title is not part of your legal name, so you tell each organisation which to use. DVLA changes one by the same process as a name.
Can a whole family change surname together?Yes, one deed poll per person. Adults sign their own; a parent signs a child's, with everyone with parental responsibility agreeing.
Changing only your first name, or only your surnameA deed poll changes any part of your name: a first name alone, or a surname alone. What the passport office asks for, and the small changes it allows.
Changing your name after converting to a religionNo law requires a new name on conversion, and no religious body issues one. If you choose a new name, a deed poll records it, and organisations do not ask why.
Do I need to register my deed poll?No. A deed poll is valid once signed and witnessed, and there is no register of unenrolled deed polls. Enrolment with the High Court is optional and costs £53.05.
How many certified copies of my deed poll do I need?Count the organisations that keep a copy, not your accounts: banks, lenders, pensions, employers and professional bodies. Most people need six to fifteen.- Is an unenrolled deed poll legally binding?Yes. An unenrolled deed poll is binding because it is signed as a deed in front of a witness, under the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989.
Is there an official UK deed poll office?Only one: the High Court's Deed Poll Office, which enrols deed polls for £53.05. Every website called an office, registry or department is a private company.
What is a certified copy of a deed poll?A copy of your deed poll certified as a true copy, which most organisations accept and keep. What it is not, and why HM Passport Office and DVLA want the original.
When can I start using my new name?The moment your deed poll is signed and witnessed. GOV.UK says a signed deed poll can be used straight away as proof of a new name; nothing is registered first.
Who can change their name in the UK?Anyone aged 16 or over, without giving a reason. Under 16, a parent applies and everyone with parental responsibility agrees. The exceptions GOV.UK sets out.
Why do people change their name?No reason is needed to change your name in the UK, and none is recorded. The reasons people give, and the document each one usually needs.
Why is it called a deed poll?A deed is a signed, witnessed document; poll is an old word for cut straight. A deed by one party was cut evenly, unlike an indenture between two.
Signing and witnessing
Can a married couple both witness my deed poll?Two people from one household can both be independent of you, but two witnesses at one address is the arrangement organisations look twice at. Use two households.
Do I need one witness or two for a deed poll?The law needs one attesting witness; GOV.UK's wording names two, our deeds have space for two, and two is what organisations expect. One is still valid.
How to sign and witness your deed pollWho can witness a deed poll, who cannot, the order to sign in, what to write, the four mistakes that get deeds refused, and what happens the moment it is signed.
Who can witness a deed poll?Any independent adult aged 18 or over who knows you: a friend, neighbour or colleague. Not your partner, a relative or anyone at your address. No solicitor needed.
Children and young people
Can I change my child's surname without the other parent's consent?Not by deed poll. GOV.UK requires everyone with parental responsibility to agree or a court order. The route is a specific issue order on form C100, £263.
Changing a child's name after adoption or under special guardianshipAn adoption order gives the child the names in the order, entered in the Adopted Children Register. Special guardians need written consent or the court's leave.
Marriage, civil partnership and divorce
Can I take my partner's surname without getting married?Yes, by deed poll. Only a marriage or civil partnership certificate changes a surname by itself; without one, each partner who changes makes a deed poll.
Can a husband take his wife's surname?Yes. The marriage certificate is the evidence for a husband as for a wife; GOV.UK's rules do not depend on which spouse changes. When a deed poll is needed instead.
Changing your name when you are widowedKeeping your married name needs nothing. Going back to your maiden name uses your certificates or a deed poll; enrolling asks for the death certificate too.
Do I need a deed poll after getting married?Not to take your spouse's surname: GOV.UK says the marriage certificate is the evidence. A deed poll is only for a name the certificate does not show.- Double-barrelling your surname after marriageHM Passport Office accepts the marriage certificate for a double-barrelled surname, so the passport needs no deed poll. Some organisations may still ask for one.
Going back to your maiden name after divorceYour marriage certificate and decree absolute usually restore your maiden name. If an organisation refuses, or the divorce is not final, a deed poll does it.
Gender identity
Deed poll or Gender Recognition Certificate?A deed poll changes your name and needs no evidence; a Gender Recognition Certificate changes your legal gender. No certificate is needed for a passport or bank.
Mx and other gender-neutral titlesMx is not part of your legal name and cannot be set by deed poll: you tell each organisation the title you use. What banks and the passport office do with Mx.
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and abroad
Can I change my name by deed poll if I live outside the UK?GOV.UK says a permanent resident overseas cannot change their name by deed poll. What that means for British citizens abroad and foreign nationals in the UK.
Using a UK deed poll abroad: notaries, apostilles and legalisationUsing a UK deed poll abroad: when an organisation wants a notarised copy, an apostille from the Legalisation Office, or both, what each is and what it costs.
Documents and records
Can I change the name on my birth certificate?In England and Wales a birth certificate is not amended for a change of name; you show it with your deed poll. Scotland and Northern Ireland can record the change.
Does changing my name affect my credit rating?No. Experian says a name change does not affect your score once your report shows the new name. Tell lenders first, keep the old name as an alias.
How long does a passport in a new name take?GOV.UK says a standard passport usually takes three weeks, and a change of name means a new passport. Fast Track covers a name change in a week; Premium does not.
What documents do I need to change my name?To make a deed poll you need no documents. To use it: the deed itself, plus one document showing the new name for a passport; DVLA wants the original evidence.
Who to tell after changing your name, and in what orderWho to tell after a change of name, in the order that works: those that produce a document in your new name first, then passport and licence, then the rest.
Costs
Can I get a deed poll for free?GOV.UK publishes the deed poll wording, so you can write one for nothing. What a free deed poll gives you, what it leaves out, and when £18.50 is worth it.
Do I need a solicitor to change my name?No. GOV.UK says anyone 16 or over can make a deed poll, witnesses need not be solicitors, and enrolment is done by the court. When a solicitor is worth paying for.
How much does it cost to change your name in the UK?What a change of name costs in the UK: nothing for a home-made deed poll, £18.50 drafted by us, £53.05 to enrol, £102 for a passport, nothing for a driving licence.
Is someone charging me every month for a deed poll?A deed poll has no renewal, so a monthly charge is a subscription sold by whichever company you ordered from. How to find who is charging you and how to cancel.
When something goes wrong
I have lost my deed pollLosing a deed poll does not undo your change of name. Where to look first, why no office holds a copy, what a replacement is, and how to stop it happening twice.
What to do if an organisation refuses your deed pollMost refusals are a cautious member of staff. The steps that fix them, what HM Passport Office tells its own staff to accept, and where our guarantee comes in.
