Is a change of name deed the same as a deed poll?#
Yes. A deed poll, a change of name deed, a name change deed and a deed of change of name are all one document: a deed made by you alone, declaring that you have given up your old name and adopted a new one. HM Passport Office's guidance to its staff puts it in a line, "Unenrolled deed polls and change of name deeds are the same thing", and accepts both on the same test. GOV.UK uses the names side by side too: its guide is called "Change your name by deed poll", and the wording it publishes for a deed you write yourself is headed "Name change deed".
Why does one document have so many names?#
Each name describes something different. "Deed poll" describes the form: a deed made by one person, which The National Archives calls a legal contract involving only one party (why it is called a deed poll). "Change of name deed" describes the purpose. The law uses both: the Enrolment of Deeds (Change of Name) Regulations 1994 deal with "deeds evidencing change of name", and call them deeds poll.
| The name | Where you see it |
|---|---|
| Deed poll | GOV.UK, and most organisations' forms |
| Change of name deed | HM Passport Office, the court's enrolment form LOC020, TSB, and the deeds we draft |
| Name change deed | GOV.UK's published wording |
| Deed poll certificate | Barclays and NHS Employers: it means the signed deed |
| Gweithred newid enw | The Welsh version of the court's form |
| Enrolled deed poll | A deed also recorded by the High Court |
Is a change of name deed a legal document?#
Yes. GOV.UK calls a deed poll "a legal document that proves a change of name", and what makes it one is how it is signed. Under section 1 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989, a deed must make clear on its face that it is one, and an individual executes it by signing in the presence of a witness who attests the signature, then delivering it; no seal is needed. HM Passport Office accepts an unenrolled deed signed in both names, witnessed by at least one person who need not be a solicitor, in wet ink and dated. GOV.UK's wording names two witnesses aged 18 or over; our deeds have space for two, and we recommend both.
The deed proves the change rather than creating it. The explanatory note to the 1994 regulations says that at common law a surname is the name by which a person is generally known, and that changing it by deed poll is "only evidential and formal". So a signed deed works at once: GOV.UK says you can use it straight away as proof of your new name.
Is a change of name deed a statutory declaration?#
No. A statutory declaration is a written statement you declare to be true in front of a solicitor, a notary, a justice of the peace or a commissioner for oaths, in wording set by the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. HM Passport Office accepts both as evidence of a change of name, but a statutory declaration is not a deed and is made a different way. Statutory declarations explains when one is used instead.
What does a change of name deed look like?#
There is no official design: HM Passport Office says an unenrolled deed has no set format or wording. GOV.UK's version has four short paragraphs, from the declaration that you have given up your old name and adopted the new one "for all purposes" to the line saying it is signed as a deed, then your signatures in both names and your witnesses'. The court's form LOC020 is headed "Change of name deed" and adds your nationality and marital status. Ours uses the traditional wording, on certificate paper. What is a deed poll certificate? goes through each part.
Does a change of name deed need to be registered?#
No. GOV.UK says anyone aged 16 or over can make one and start using the new name, and The National Archives notes there may be no record of it anywhere but the document itself. Enrolment is optional: from 18 you can put the change on public record at the High Court for £53.05, which can take several months and publishes your new name and address in The Gazette. The National Archives estimates that fewer than 1% of changes of name by deed poll are enrolled. GOV.UK notes that some banks, mobile phone companies and energy providers may accept only an enrolled one, so ask any that matter to you (do I need to enrol my deed poll?).
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?#
| Unenrolled | Enrolled | |
|---|---|---|
| Who makes it | You, at 16 or over; for a child, GOV.UK says an agency or a solicitor | You, at 18 or over; for a child, a parent or guardian |
| Cost | Nothing to write your own; agencies and solicitors may charge | £53.05 |
| Proof of the change | The signed deed, at once | The deed, sealed by the court, after several months |
| Public record | None | A notice in The Gazette |
Ours costs £18.50: a paralegal drafts and checks it, and it is posted the same working day (how much it costs to change your name).
Adult and child versions#
An adult signs their own deed. A child's is made by a parent on the child's behalf, and changing a child's name needs the agreement of everyone with parental responsibility, which GOV.UK says includes agreeing to any change of name. If someone will not agree, the route is a court order, and HM Passport Office will not accept a child's change of name without that consent or an order. At 16 or 17 a young person can make their own deed. Enrolling a child's deed uses the court's forms LOC022, LOC023, LOC024 and LOC028. Changing a child's name sets out the steps, and our child deed poll is £18.50.
What does a bank mean when it asks for a change of name deed?#
Your deed poll: banks use the names interchangeably. What differs is whether they want it enrolled, or with something else. TSB says change of name deeds "need to be enrolled at the courts to be considered an official document which can be used on its own", and takes an unenrolled one with proof you use the new name, like a driving licence or passport. Lloyds, Halifax and Santander also want a passport or driving licence in the new name with an unenrolled deed, and Barclays wants photo ID in the new name for a new first name. Monzo, for one, accepts a deed poll on its own. Compare sixteen banks, or check your own. Where a bank keeps a copy, send a certified copy and keep the original.
Questions people ask
Is a change of name deed valid in Scotland?
Yes. A deed poll works for people born or living in Scotland. GOV.UK points anyone born there to the rules of National Records of Scotland, which can also record the change against a Scottish birth or adoption entry for £40, so that new copies of the certificate show both names. That record is optional. Changing your name in Scotland.
Can I get a replacement change of name deed?
Yes. A replacement deed poll records the change you already made and the date of the original, and it is signed and witnessed again like any deed. Ours is £18.50: I have lost my deed poll covers where to look first.
Is there a change of name deed template?
GOV.UK publishes the wording for a deed you write yourself, on its page about making your own unenrolled deed poll: you copy it, add your names and address, and sign it in front of two witnesses aged 18 or over. Can I get a deed poll for free? explains what a home-made deed gives you.
Do I need a change of name deed after marriage?
Not to take your spouse's or civil partner's surname: GOV.UK says the certificate is enough. You need one for what the certificate cannot show, such as a new first name, or a surname made by running both surnames together as one word, which HM Passport Office says needs further evidence such as a change of name deed. Do I need a deed poll after getting married?
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
