Do I need a new signature after changing my name?

Do I have to change my signature when I change my name?#

No. No law makes you change your signature, and none says what a signature must look like. The Law Commission's 2019 report on signing documents found that there is no general statutory definition of a signature, and that the common law takes a pragmatic approach: courts have accepted an X, initials only, a printed name, and a mark made by someone who could write. For deeds, the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 says signing includes making your mark.

So the choice is yours. Many people whose surname changes start signing the new one, and some keep a signature that never spelt out a name. What matters in practice is that it is yours and that you use it consistently: HM Passport Office's own phrase is "the signature they use for all official purposes". The one thing to avoid is carrying on with a signature that spells out your old name, because its staff are told to query a paper application that is clearly signed in a name they are not aware of.

How do I sign my deed poll?#

In both names, by hand, while your witnesses watch. GOV.UK's wording for a deed poll ends with a line for your new signature and your old signature, followed by the witnesses' signatures, and the enrolled deed poll form, LOC020, has separate boxes marked for the new name signature and the old name signature. HM Passport Office tells its staff to accept an unenrolled deed poll only if:

• it is signed in the old and new name;
• it is signed by at least one witness;
• every signature is a wet signature, made by hand in ink;
• it is dated.

If either of your signatures is missing, or the deed was signed on screen, the passport office asks for a new deed. Sign both lines even if your two signatures look alike: its test is whether the deed is signed in both names, and we have found no official guidance saying the two must differ. Settle on your new signature before the day, so the one on the deed is the one you go on using.

How to sign and witness your deed poll takes the signing step by step, and can I sign my deed poll digitally? explains why the answer is no.

Which name do I sign in while the change goes through?#

From the day you sign the deed, the new name is yours, and GOV.UK says the signed deed can be used straight away as proof (when can I use my new name?). Most forms after that are signed in the new name, but a few documents have their own rule.

Your passport#

A new name means a new passport, and GOV.UK says to fill in and sign a paper application using the name you want printed in it. If the signature does not match that name, HM Passport Office asks whether it is the signature you use for all official purposes; if it is, it accepts it, and if not, it asks you to sign a new declaration. Online applications do not ask for a signature at all.

Either way, you sign the passport itself when it arrives. HM Passport Office asks everyone aged 12 or over to do so, because organisations such as banks may use it to check identity, and some countries may not accept a passport without a signature for travel.

Your driving licence#

The licence shows a signature too. For Northern Ireland licences, nidirect explains that the signature on the photocard is digitally reproduced from the one you gave on your application form. In Great Britain, a new name goes to DVLA by post on form D1, free of charge, and you can keep driving while you wait. GOV.UK's renewal page adds that if your signature has changed you cannot renew online, and must apply by post or at a Post Office. Changing your name with DVLA has the full process, including a new photo for £17.

Your bank#

Banks keep your signature on file, and several ask for both when you change your name. Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland say they need your old and new signatures, with the documents for your change, in branch or by letter. The Co-operative Bank asks for examples of both with your marriage certificate, decree absolute or deed poll. Nationwide sends any new cards or chequebooks you need within 10 working days of making the change.

Some banks also want a passport or driving licence in the new name before they accept an unenrolled deed poll; our guide to banks compares sixteen of them.

A cheque written to your old name can still be paid in. NatWest says a branch can process it if you show a legal linking document, such as a marriage certificate, connecting the two names; ask your own bank whether your deed poll will do.