Four jobs that get confused#
- A witness watches you sign and signs to say so. Any independent adult; costs nothing; makes the deed poll binding in the UK.
- A certified copy is a copy marked as a true copy of the original, for UK organisations that keep a copy on file.
- A notary public is a lawyer whose signature and seal are recognised abroad. In England and Wales notaries are appointed and regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. A notary authenticates your deed, or a copy of it, under their seal so that a foreign authority can accept it without further checks.
- An apostille is a certificate attached to a document by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Legalisation Office, confirming that a signature, stamp or seal on it is genuine, so that the document is accepted in the countries that signed the 1961 Hague Convention.
None of the last two is needed in the UK. HM Passport Office and DVLA ask for the signed original; everyone else takes a certified copy.
When a deed poll goes abroad#
Another country's authorities apply their own rules. A foreign bank, employer, registry or consulate may ask for any of the following, and GOV.UK's advice is to check with whoever is asking exactly what they need before you do anything, because legalisation fees are not refunded if the wrong thing is done.
- A notarised copy. A notary certifies the deed under their seal. Each notary sets their own fees and publishes how they are calculated.
- An apostille. GOV.UK says a private document such as a deed poll can be legalised once it has been certified by a UK notary or solicitor; the Legalisation Office then attaches the apostille. A paper apostille costs £45 and is applied for online and sent by post; an e-Apostille costs £35 and is issued on a PDF that a UK notary or solicitor has signed electronically. Some organisations abroad will only accept the paper kind.
- Both, in that order. Notary first, then the Legalisation Office, then the organisation that asked.
Countries outside the Hague Convention may also require the document to be stamped by their own embassy or consulate after the apostille.
What to ask the organisation first#
GOV.UK suggests checking whether they need the original document or a certified copy, whether it must be signed by a UK notary or solicitor in particular, and whether they want a paper apostille or an e-Apostille. An email with those three questions answered saves a wasted fee.
Changing the name in a foreign passport#
Only the country that issued a passport can change the name in it. A UK deed poll may be accepted as evidence, with or without an apostille, or that country may require its own procedure. Its embassy or consulate in the UK is the place to ask. We are not notaries and cannot notarise or legalise a document; we draft the deed poll that the notary then works from.
