Is my deed poll still valid after I move house?#
Yes. The address on a deed poll is where you lived on the day you signed it: part of the record of the change, not a condition of it. GOV.UK says a signed deed poll is proof of your new name at once, and nothing in its guidance ties the deed to an address or asks you to renew it after a move.
HM Passport Office's guidance to its staff points the same way. An unenrolled deed poll has no set format or wording, and staff must accept it if it is signed in the old and new names, witnessed by at least one person, signed in wet ink, dated, genuine and made at the time. Where you live now is not on the list.
An enrolled deed poll is no different. GOV.UK says enrolling publishes a record of your change of name and your address in The Gazette. That notice records the address you gave then, and a later move leaves it as it was.
Why does my deed poll show my old address?#
Because a deed poll records who made the change, and where they lived, on the day it was signed. GOV.UK's wording for an unenrolled deed poll begins "I [old name] of [your address]" and ends with the date it was signed as a deed and the names and addresses of the two witnesses. The deed poll we draft also opens with your former name and the address you give when you order. Like the date, the address says when and where you made the change, not where you must live for it to count.
Should I update the address on it?#
There is nothing to update and nobody to update it with: an unenrolled deed poll is not held on any register. Do not add your new address to the deed yourself. HM Passport Office checks the documents it receives for damage and signs of tampering, and a signed deed cannot be corrected, only made again. Each organisation takes your current address from its own form or account.
Moving and changing your name at the same time#
The two changes travel separately. DVLA changes the address on a licence free of charge, and online, but GOV.UK says that if you want to change your name at the same time, you have to apply by post. Not telling DVLA about a new address can lead to a fine of up to £1,000, GOV.UK warns (changing your name with DVLA). For a passport, GOV.UK lists a change of address among the changes that do not need a new one; a new name does.
When is a replacement worth getting?#
Only when the paper itself is the problem. If the deed went missing in the move, or was damaged so that its details can no longer be read, a replacement gives you an original again. It records the same change of name and the same date, so nothing already in your new name needs changing a second time, and like every deed we draft it opens with the address you give when you order. Ours costs £18.50 and is posted the same working day, and our guide to a lost deed poll says where to look first.
A move on its own is never a reason to replace a deed poll. Does a deed poll expire? covers the other times people are asked for something newer, and why a recent letter or statement is usually the answer.
Questions people ask
Do I need to re-enrol my deed poll after moving?
No. Enrolment puts the change on public record once, and GOV.UK says the notice in The Gazette includes the address you gave. Nothing in its guidance asks you to update the record when you move.
I have moved abroad. Is my deed poll still valid?
Yes, as the record of a change you made while you lived in the UK. GOV.UK's rule that a permanent resident overseas cannot change their name by deed poll is about making one. DVLA adds that you cannot register an address abroad on a British driving licence: living outside the UK.
Can I write my new address on my deed poll?
No. Leave the signed deed exactly as it is. HM Passport Office checks every document it receives for damage and signs of tampering, so later handwriting invites questions. Your new address goes on each application form instead.
Do I need a new passport because I have moved?
No. GOV.UK lists a change of address among the changes that do not need a new passport. A new name does: what a new passport costs.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
