Is there a free deed poll template in the UK?#
Yes, and it is the government's own. GOV.UK publishes the wording for an unenrolled deed poll, free, on its page Make your own unenrolled deed poll. Anyone aged 16 or over can use it: replace the words in square brackets with your details, sign it in front of two witnesses aged 18 or over, and use it straight away. HM Passport Office's guidance to its staff says an unenrolled deed has "no set format or wording" and may be drawn up by the customer, noting that "an example is available on GOV.UK if needed". There is no government form for an unenrolled deed poll.
A deed poll is a legal document, made and signed by one person, that proves a change of name. Copy GOV.UK's wording from GOV.UK itself, not from a site that has retyped it, so you have the current text; deed poll: the complete UK guide explains each sentence of it.
What does a deed poll have to contain?#
Whatever the template, the signed deed needs these parts. They come from section 1 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989, which governs deeds made by individuals in England and Wales, and from HM Passport Office's tests.
| Part | Why | Rule from |
|---|---|---|
| Words making it a deed, such as "signed as a deed" | Without them it is not a deed | The 1989 Act, section 1(2) |
| Your old and new names, in full | They link your records to the new name | GOV.UK's wording |
| A declaration that you have given up the old name and adopted the new one for all purposes | It is the change itself | GOV.UK's wording |
| Your signature in both names | "Signed in the old and new name" | HM Passport Office |
| A witness who watches you sign, then signs with their name and address | The law needs a witness who attests your signature; GOV.UK's wording names two, aged 18 or over | The 1989 Act, section 1(3), and GOV.UK |
| The date you sign | Dated, and made at the time | HM Passport Office |
| Wet ink | "All signatures are a wet signature" | HM Passport Office |
Nothing else is required: no seal, stamp, reference number or solicitor. Our deeds have space for two witnesses, and we recommend both, because two is what organisations expect. The example below labels each part.
The parts of a deed poll
- It says it is a deed. The law requires a deed to make clear on its face that it is one. A heading such as "Change of Name Deed" and the words "signed as a deed" do that.
- Your old name, and your address. Your whole name as it was before the change, every forename, middle name and surname.
- Your new name, adopted for all purposes. The sentence that says you have given up the old name and taken the new one for all purposes. It is what makes the change a change of name rather than a nickname.
- The declaration lines. GOV.UK's wording adds two more: that you have told the police, where that applies (it applies only to registered offenders), and that authorities such as HM Passport Office may check both names.
- The date. The day you actually sign, never an earlier or a later one. Your name changes on that date.
- Your signatures in both names. One in the new name and one in the old, in wet ink. HM Passport Office checks for both.
- The witnesses. The law needs one; GOV.UK's wording names two, aged 18 or over, each with a name, address and signature. GOV.UK warns that some organisations will not accept a witness who lives with you or is a close relative.
An illustration with made-up names, not a form to fill in. GOV.UK publishes the full wording free.
Why do home-made deed polls get questioned?#
Mostly because of the signing, not the wording. GOV.UK warns that some organisations may not accept a deed poll you made yourself, or one witnessed by someone at your address or a close relative, and that some banks, phone companies and energy providers may accept only an enrolled one (the bank rules compared). HM Passport Office asks for a new deed if a signature in either name or the witness's is missing, a signature is not wet, the date is missing, or it doubts the deed is genuine. If anything is wrong after signing, do not correct it by hand: sign a new deed (a mistake on a deed poll).
Deed poll templates in Word or PDF: what to check#
A downloaded file or a generator can give you a valid deed, because validity comes from the signing. Check five things before printing.
- It is for the UK. Some template sites serve several countries. The Irish courts' deed poll form, for example, is for people living permanently in the Republic of Ireland and is enrolled in Dublin, with €60 stamp duty. If you were born in Scotland, GOV.UK says different rules apply: see changing your name in Scotland.
- It has a witness clause: words saying it is signed as a deed in your witnesses' presence, and space for each witness's signature, name and address.
- The date is blank. Some generators offer to print today's date, but the date should be the day you sign (backdating a deed poll).
- Nothing is signed on screen. PDF tools may offer a typed or drawn signature, but HM Passport Office wants every signature wet: print first, then sign in ink (signing digitally).
- Its rules match GOV.UK's. Some templates say they are only for British or Commonwealth citizens over 18. Those are conditions for enrolment; for an unenrolled deed GOV.UK sets an age of 16 or over and rules out only permanent residents overseas (changing your name at 16 or 17).
Is there an official deed poll form?#
Not for an unenrolled deed poll. The deed poll forms on GOV.UK are for enrolling a deed with the High Court, which is optional, costs £53.05, can take several months and publishes your new name and address in The Gazette. An adult sends form LOC020 with a statutory declaration (LOC021) and an exhibit cover sheet (LOC027); for a child the set is LOC022, LOC023, LOC024 and LOC028.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service's notes say LOC020 "becomes your deed poll", must be printed single-sided with no crossings out, and is for British, Commonwealth or British dependent territories citizens; apply online and it is completed for you. Downloading it enrols nothing: it is one part of an application. How to enrol a deed poll has each step.
Is there a deed poll template for a child?#
Not from GOV.UK. Its free wording is for a person changing their own name. For a child under 18, GOV.UK points to an unenrolled deed made by a specialist deed poll agency or a solicitor, or to enrolment. At 16 or 17 a young person can make their own with the adult wording.
For a child under 16, a parent with parental responsibility makes and signs the deed on the child's behalf, and everyone else with parental responsibility must agree, or a court must order the change. HM Passport Office accepts a deed signed by both parents as their consent if nothing shows that anyone else has parental responsibility. Ours is drafted in the child's names for the parent to sign: the child deed poll.
Does a deed poll need special paper?#
No. Section 1 of the 1989 Act abolished any rule restricting what a deed may be written on, and HM Passport Office's tests say nothing about paper, so plain A4 printed at home is valid. Certificate paper, which ours is printed on, is a matter of presentation; it adds nothing in law.
When is a drafted deed poll worth paying for?#
GOV.UK's wording suits an adult with a simple change, two independent witnesses and no organisation asking for more. Paying buys the work around the deed: names checked against GOV.UK's name rules, the right wording for a child, certificate paper, signing guidance, certified copies and help with a refusal.
Ours is £18.50, drafted and checked by a paralegal, posted the same working day and guaranteed to be accepted, or your money back. To weigh services, see the main UK deed poll providers compared; can I get a deed poll for free? covers what the free route leaves out.
Questions people ask
Is GOV.UK's deed poll wording available as a Word or PDF download?
No. GOV.UK sets the wording out as text on its page, Make your own unenrolled deed poll, with the details to replace in square brackets. Copy it into a document of your own, print it, and sign the paper in ink in front of your witnesses.
Is a free deed poll generator safe to use?
It can produce a valid deed, because what counts is how the deed is signed. Check the result as you would any template: UK wording, a clause saying it is signed as a deed in front of witnesses, a blank date and no signature added on screen. You are typing in your names and address, so read its privacy policy first (putting your details into online tools).
Is there an official deed poll kit or pack?
No. No government department issues a deed poll, a kit or a pack: GOV.UK gives the wording free, and the High Court's forms are only for enrolling. Anything sold as a kit is a private company's product, so check what it includes and who drafts it. How to choose a deed poll company has the checks.
What is a deed poll letter?
Usually the covering letter you send with your deed, or a certified copy, to tell an organisation your new name. What to put in a change of name letter lists what it should say. Many organisations ask you to use their own form instead.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
