How do I choose a deed poll company?

Is there an official deed poll company?#

No. Every website that sells deed polls is run by a private business, whatever its name, logo or design, and GOV.UK's guide names or recommends none of them. The only official step is optional: the High Court can enrol your deed if you apply, which costs £53.05, can take several months and puts your new name and address in The Gazette (is there an official deed poll office?).

Is paying for a deed poll a scam?#

No, but paying is optional. GOV.UK publishes wording you can use yourself from the age of 16: you sign it in both names, watched by two witnesses aged 18 or over, and can use it straight away. HM Passport Office tells its staff that an unenrolled deed may be drawn up by the customer, and must be accepted if it is signed in both names, witnessed, in wet ink and dated (can I get a deed poll for free?).

GOV.UK also says a specialist agency or a solicitor can make one for you and may charge a fee; for a child under 16, those are the routes it gives besides enrolment. It cautions, too, that some organisations may turn down a deed you made yourself. A fee is not a scam in itself. The fair complaints are about practices, such as hiding who runs a site or looking official.

What should a deed poll company give you for the fee?#

The work around the deed, because acceptance depends on the wording and the signing, not the price. Expect:

• a draft checked against GOV.UK's rules for names: nothing offensive, no numbers or symbols, no change of title (name rules);
• the right wording for an adult or a child, and for a child, a plain statement that everyone with parental responsibility must agree;
• clear signing guidance: both names, wet ink, a date, and adult witnesses who are neither close relatives nor living with you (who can witness);
• printing, certified copies if you need them, and delivery, each priced before you pay;
• help if an organisation refuses the deed (what to do).

What are the warning signs?#

None of these proves dishonesty, but each is worth a pause, and most break a rule.

• It looks like a government office. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, a website's overall presentation can mislead even when every statement on it is true (section 226), and falsely claiming approval by a public body is banned (Schedule 20, paragraph 4).
• It charges monthly for a one-off document. A membership, storage or login fee is a separate product. Directly before you order, the seller must show what it costs each billing period and how to end it, and an extra payment added through a pre-ticked box must be refunded (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulations 14 and 40). The 2024 Act's subscription rules are not in force yet: the government says they start in January 2027 (monthly charges).
• You cannot tell who runs it. A company may trade under another name, but its website must also show its registered name and number, the part of the UK where it is registered and its registered office address (Trading Disclosures Regulations 2015, regulations 24 and 25). Every online business, sole traders included, must give its name, a geographic address and an email address (Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002, regulation 6).
• The price grows at checkout, or you are hurried. Since 6 April 2025 every fee you cannot avoid must be in the headline price (section 230), and a false "today only" offer is banned (Schedule 20, paragraph 7). If you are pressed to enrol, it is optional, though GOV.UK notes that some organisations, such as some banks, phone companies and energy providers, may accept only an enrolled deed (do I need to enrol?).
• The reviews look too good. Since 6 April 2025 fake reviews, reviews that hide an incentive and burying negative ones are banned, and a business that publishes reviews must take reasonable steps to stop fake ones (Schedule 20, paragraph 13). Read reviews on sites the company does not control, bad ones included.

How do I check a deed poll company before I pay?#

1. Look it up on Companies House by its registered name or number, and check they match the website. The free record shows its status (active or dissolved, for example), registered office, incorporation date, officers and filing history. Companies House says it does not check the accuracy of what is filed, so a record tells you who you are dealing with, not whether they are any good.
2. Find an address you could write to, not only a contact form.
3. Read the price and terms before paying: the total with copies and delivery, what happens if the deed is refused, and when you can cancel.
4. Read independent reviews over several months, and how the company answers complaints.

Can I cancel a deed poll order?#

Check first: the usual 14 days may not apply. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you 14 days to cancel most online purchases, but regulation 28(1)(b) excludes "goods that are made to the consumer's specifications or are clearly personalised", which can include a deed printed in your names. If the drafting is sold as a service instead, you can cancel within 14 days of the contract, but you pay for work done at your request, and lose the right once the work is complete if you agreed to that (regulation 36). The seller must tell you before you order if there is no right to cancel, or when you lose it (Schedule 2).

So once a deed has been drafted, a refund for a change of mind usually depends on the company's terms. A deed that is wrong is different: goods must match their description, and services must be performed with reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 11 and 49).

What if a deed poll company has charged me or sent nothing?#

1. Write to the company, keep a copy, and cancel any plan in writing.
2. Ask your card provider for a chargeback. MoneyHelper says it covers debit, credit and prepaid cards, is a card-network agreement rather than a legal right, and should be claimed within 120 days of the purchase. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes a credit card company equally liable, but only for a single item costing more than £100 and up to £30,000. If your card provider will not help, go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
3. Report the business. Trading Standards investigate but will not get your money back; you reach them through a consumer advice service.

Report Fraud, the City of London Police service, replaced Action Fraud on 4 December 2025. Misleading claims on a company's website or in paid search adverts can go to the Advertising Standards Authority.

About Deed Polls Online#

We are a private business too, with no connection to government. Our deed poll is £18.50, paid once, and nothing we sell repeats. A paralegal drafts it, a second check compares it with what you typed, and we post it the same working day. You can cancel for a full refund until drafting begins, and if a UK organisation refuses the deed, we take it up and refund you if it is still refused.