Get a deed poll £18.50

Documents and records

What documents do I need to change my name?

To make a deed poll you need no documents. To use it: the deed itself, plus one document showing the new name for a passport; DVLA wants the original evidence.

Checked against GOV.UK Updated

A stack of documents with a tick

The short answer

To make a deed poll, nothing: it is a declaration, not an application, and no identity is checked. To use it you need the signed deed, plus for a passport one document showing the new name in use. Enrolling with the High Court is the exception and needs a birth certificate, passport or naturalisation certificate.

Key facts

To make an unenrolled deed poll
No documents
To order one from us
Your current name, new name, date of birth and address
For a passport
The original deed poll and one document showing the new name in use
For a driving licence
Form D1, your licence and the original evidence
To enrol with the court
A birth certificate, passport or certificate of naturalisation, and supporting documents
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On this page 4 sections
  1. To make the deed poll
  2. To use the deed poll
  3. To enrol with the High Court
  4. Keep your birth certificate

To make the deed poll#

Nothing. An unenrolled deed poll is a declaration you make, not an application anyone assesses, so there is no identity check and nothing to attach. GOV.UK's wording asks for your old name, your address and your new name, and for two witnesses.

To order a deed poll from us you give the same details at the checkout: your current name as it appears on your documents, your new name spelled as you want it printed, your date of birth, which appears on the deed, and the address to post it to. For a child, the child's details and the names of everyone with parental responsibility. We do not ask for copies of any document.

To use the deed poll#

  • HM Passport Office wants your original deed poll, not a copy, and one document showing you already use the new name, such as a bank statement, a payslip, or a letter from HMRC or your council. It posts the deed back.
  • DVLA wants form D1, your current licence and the original documents confirming the new name. GOV.UK says not to send photocopies. It posts them back.
  • Almost everyone else takes a certified copy of the deed and keeps it, sometimes with a covering letter quoting your account or reference number.

To enrol with the High Court#

Enrolment is the one route that checks identity. GOV.UK says you provide a copy of a birth certificate, a valid passport or a certificate of naturalisation, and may be asked for supporting documents: adoption documents, a marriage or civil partnership certificate, a spouse's written consent, and a decree absolute or death certificate if you are divorced or widowed. Documents not in English or Welsh need certified translations. For a child, the child's full birth certificate and any adoption documents, plus documents about the parents' relationship status.

Keep your birth certificate#

A birth certificate in England and Wales is not amended for a change of name, so you will go on needing it: it proves the name you were given, and the deed poll proves you changed it. The two are read together, which is why the old name on the deed must match the certificate exactly.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these on . If a source has changed since, tell us and we will correct the page.