Does a criminal record stop you changing your name?#
No. GOV.UK's guide sets out who can make a deed poll and what the new name may be, and it has no rule about convictions. Where it mentions offenders, it adds a duty rather than a bar: registered offenders must tell the police. The prison service's own order on the subject starts from the same place, saying there is "no legal limitation on the right of prisoners to change their name".
A change of name changes what you are called. It does not change your record, and the rules on this page keep the two connected. Who can change their name? covers the other groups with conditions attached, and the eligibility checker gives the rule for your situation.
Registered sex offenders: the 3-day rule#
Section 84 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 says a relevant offender must notify the police of a name they have not notified before "within the period of 3 days beginning with" their using it. The trigger is using the name, not signing a deed, and the first day of use is the first of the 3. Notice can also be given in advance, as long as you give the date you expect to start using the name.
GOV.UK says you must do this at your local prescribed police station, and that you will be told where it is on release. In England and Wales, section 87 makes it an oral notification at a police station listed for your area; the police must acknowledge it in writing and may take fingerprints and photographs to confirm who you are. Under section 91, failing to notify without a reasonable excuse, or knowingly giving false information, is an offence carrying up to five years in prison.
GOV.UK names violent and terrorist offenders too, and the same 3 days apply to them under section 109 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 and section 48 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008.
A change is on the way. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 will require registered sex offenders to notify a new name at least 7 days before using it, where that is reasonably practicable (section 118). It will also let a chief officer of police require some of them to get police authorisation before applying for a replacement passport, driving licence or immigration document in a new name (section 125). Neither section was in force when we checked on 29 September 2026; each starts on a date still to be appointed.
The police line in a deed poll#
GOV.UK's wording for a deed poll has you state, "where applicable", that you have informed the police of the change and understand "that a failure to do so is a criminal offence". For anyone without a duty to notify, those two words mean the sentence simply does not apply. For someone with a duty to notify, it is a statement that the police already know, and section 84 allows the notice to come before the name is used. The deeds we draft use the traditional wording, which has no such sentence, but the duty to notify comes from the law, not from the deed, so it applies whichever wording you sign.
On licence, on probation, in prison or on bail#
These are the rules in England and Wales.
- On licence after a fixed-length prison sentence, a standard condition requires you to tell your supervising officer if you use a name that is different from the names on your licence. HM Prison and Probation Service's framework says this covers a permanent change by deed poll as well as a temporary one, that the name is recorded and shared with partner agencies where appropriate, and that a licence is reissued in a legally changed name. From 1 October 2026 the conditions are reworded and gain a passport rule: tell your supervising officer about any passport you hold, and get permission before applying for a new one.
- On probation, GOV.UK's guide says you must tell your offender manager if you plan to change your name. Since 29 June 2026 the Sentencing Act 2020 has also required anyone on a community order, or a suspended sentence order with community requirements, to tell their responsible officer of any name they use that is not in the order, as soon as reasonably practicable.
- In prison, the prison service's order on name changes (PSO 4455) says a change by deed poll should generally be acknowledged, and refused only in exceptional circumstances such as an offensive name. Prison records then show the new name with the old one as an alias, and the police are told.
- On bail, GOV.UK's guide lists conditions the police or a court may set, such as living at a particular address, not contacting certain people, giving up your passport and reporting to a police station. It says nothing about names. If you are unsure whether a change sits with your conditions, ask your solicitor before making it.
What a DBS check asks for after a change of name#
The Disclosure and Barring Service's application form asks for every name you have been known by since birth, with the dates you used each, and its identity checking guidance tells employers to make sure all of them are declared, because the identity details are used to search police records and, where relevant, the barred lists. One exception: someone adopted before the age of 10 need not give their birth name, since no one can have a criminal record from before that age. Knowingly making a false statement to obtain a certificate is an offence under section 123 of the Police Act 1997.
DBS says an applicant happy to have a previous identity disclosed on the certificate simply lists it under "any other names". Its sensitive applications route is for transgender applicants who do not want a previous name or gender shown; the previous identity is still given to DBS, just not on the form. What a certificate says about convictions depends on its level, from unspent convictions and conditional cautions on a basic check to relevant local police information on an enhanced one, not on your name.
The record follows the person#
The notification, licence, probation and prison rules above all keep the old name next to the new one, and a registered offender's first notification to the police lists every name in use. Identity checks work the same way. HM Passport Office searches its records for any passport issued in an earlier version of your name and checks each change against its fraud risk guidance, and in GOV.UK's deed poll wording you accept that the authorities may check "the history and validity" of both names. Why do people change their name? covers what a change of name cannot do.
Where to get advice#
- Your notification requirements: the police, at your prescribed police station.
- Licence, probation or community order conditions: your supervising officer, offender manager or responsible officer.
- A DBS check: the Disclosure and Barring Service, including its route for transgender applicants.
- Legal advice on your own case: a solicitor, through GOV.UK's guide to finding a legal adviser, and legal aid if you qualify.
This page describes the published rules. It is not advice about your case.
Questions people ask
Do I have to tell the police about a name change if I have a conviction?
GOV.UK places that duty on registered sex, violent and terrorist offenders. Some civil orders carry the same 3-day duty, a stalking protection order for example, so read any order you are under. A licence, community order or suspended sentence order has its own rule about telling your supervising or responsible officer.
Do I need a new DBS check after changing my name?
Ask the organisation that wants it. For an Update Service status check an employer enters the surname shown on your certificate, and DBS's own guide for employers describes a school that asks staff who have changed their name for a new certificate, linked to their existing subscription.
Does a deed poll have to mention a criminal record?
No. GOV.UK's wording records the old name, the new one, the police acknowledgement where it applies, and that the authorities may check both names. It has no place for a reason or a record.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
