Every figure in this report is public, from The Gazette, GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives or an organisation's own pages, with its source at the foot of the page. None comes from our own orders.
The figures in brief#
Six findings, each sourced below:
- A record in 2025. The Gazette published 4,916 enrolled deed poll notices, the most since at least 1998 and 38% more than in 2024.
- A sharp fall in 2026. It published 1,295 from 1 January to 23 October 2026, about a third of the 3,933 a year earlier, because far fewer deeds were enrolled.
- New fees, not new law. Passport fees rose on 8 April 2026, and the court fee for an order about a child's name from £263 to £270 on 13 July, when birth re-registration after marriage stopped changing a child's surname.
- No fee for the change itself. An adult passport in the new name is £102 online, enrolment is £53.05 and optional, and a driving licence is free.
- Banks differ. Of 24 banks and building societies, 10 accept an unenrolled deed poll without ID in the new name, and 10 want a passport, licence or other ID in the new name for at least some changes.
- Most organisations take a copy. Of 73 organisations with a guide in this handbook, only HM Passport Office, DVLA and Northern Ireland's DVA refuse copies.
How many deed polls were enrolled in 2025 and 2026?#
The Gazette published 4,916 change of name notices in 2025, each announcing one deed poll enrolled at the High Court: the highest yearly total in its data since at least 1998. From 1 January to 23 October 2026 it published 1,295, a fall of 67% on the 3,933 of the same period in 2025. These count enrolled deeds only. The National Archives estimates that less than 1% of changes of name by deed poll are enrolled, and nobody counts the rest.
| Period | Change of name notices | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2,801 | Down 13% on 2022 |
| 2024 | 3,567 | Up 27% |
| 2025 | 4,916 | Up 38%, the highest since at least 1998 |
| 1 January to 23 October 2025 | 3,933 | |
| 1 January to 23 October 2026 | 1,295 | Down 67% on the same period |
Notices under code 2901 by publication date, from The Gazette's open data on 23 October 2026, when 60 of 2026's notices were published. The 1994 enrolment regulations require every enrolled deed poll to be advertised there; each notice is one person's deed, and a few correct an earlier notice. In 2025, 1,243 notices, about a quarter, were made for a child by someone with parental responsibility.
Why is 2026 so much lower? Because the High Court enrolled far fewer deeds: the enrolment dates printed in the notices show 4 deeds enrolled in May 2026 and 8 in June. GOV.UK said on 7 September 2026 that enrolment could take several weeks; by 14 October it said several months, with an update available after 6 months. We found no official explanation. How many people change their name in the UK? has every year from 2012 and the method.
What changed in 2026?#
The law of deed polls itself did not change in 2026, and HM Passport Office's updated guidance lists no change to its test for accepting a deed poll. What changed is below; what changed in UK name change rules in 2026 has each in full.
| Date in 2026 | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 25 February | Electronic travel authorisations enforced; British citizens, dual citizens included, need none but must show a British passport or certificate of entitlement | Home Office |
| 8 April | Passport fees rose, as in the fees table below | SI 2026/311 |
| 10 April | The EU's Entry/Exit System fully operational, replacing passport stamps | European Commission |
| 29 June | A duty to report any name not in the order, for people on community, suspended sentence, youth rehabilitation and referral orders | Crime and Policing Act 2026, section 192 |
| 13 July | Court fee for an order about a child's name from £263 to £270; searches of enrolled deeds from £5 to £11, copies from 25p to 50p | SI 2026/642 and 2026/665 |
| 13 July | Re-registering a birth after the parents marry no longer changes the child's surname | HM Passport Office |
| 28 August and 3 September | New versions of HM Passport Office's evidence and change of name guidance | HM Passport Office |
| 7 September to 14 October | GOV.UK's stated wait for enrolment went from several weeks to several months | GOV.UK, as archived |
| 1 October | Licence conditions reworded: report any other name, and ask permission before applying for a passport | SI 2026/911 |
| 1 October | Right to work checks extended beyond employees; the Home Office guide names a deed poll as evidence linking names | Home Office |
Not yet in force on 23 October 2026: sections 118 and 125 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, passed on 29 April, which will make registered sex offenders notify a new name at least 7 days before using it where reasonably practicable, and let the police require some to get authorisation before applying for a passport, driving licence or immigration document in a new name. Criminal records and a change of name covers the rules in force.
What do the official fees cost in 2026?#
No government body charges for the change of name itself: the fees come with the documents you update, or with optional steps such as enrolment. Each was checked at its official source on 23 October 2026.
| Fee | Amount | Changed in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Adult passport, online / paper form | £102 / £115.50 | 8 April, from £94.50 / £107 |
| Child passport, online / paper form | £66.50 / £80 | 8 April, from £61.50 / £74 |
| 1 week Fast Track, adult / child, which covers a change of name | £192 / £156.50 | |
| Enrolling a deed poll, optional | £53.05 | No |
| Court order about a child's name, form C100 or C1 | £270 | 13 July, from £263 |
| Staff search of enrolled deeds / copy of one | £11 / 50p | 13 July, from £5 / 25p |
| Certificate, England and Wales | £12.50; £38.50 priority | |
| Recording a change of name, Scotland | £40, plus £10 for each extra family member | |
| Recording a change of name, Northern Ireland | £35, plus £16 for each extra family member | |
| Driving licence | Free; £17 with a new photo | |
| V5C log book | Usually free | |
| Apostille, paper / e-Apostille | £45 / £35 |
GOV.UK's deed poll guide still gave £263 for the court order on 23 October 2026; HMCTS's fee list (EX50) and the fees order give £270. Every official fee has the full table, and how much it costs to change your name adds a deed poll and copies.
What do banks ask for?#
Of the 24 banks and building societies on our banks page, 10 accept a deed poll, enrolled or not, without ID in the new name, and 10 want a passport, driving licence or other ID in the new name for at least some changes. None mentions a fee. Each bank's own pages, read between 30 September and 23 October 2026:
| What the bank's own pages say | Banks | Count |
|---|---|---|
| A deed poll, enrolled or not, without ID in the new name | NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, Monzo, Starling, Virgin Money, Tesco Bank, the Co-operative Bank (accounts), HSBC (with proof of your previous name), Nationwide (with one more ID in either name) | 10 |
| A deed poll for a new surname; photo ID in the new name for a new first, middle or full name | Barclays | 1 |
| An unenrolled deed poll only with ID in the new name, such as a passport or driving licence | Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Santander, TSB, Coventry, Yorkshire | 7 |
| Government-issued ID in the new name, whatever the deed | Revolut | 1 |
| An enrolled deed poll, or a passport or licence in the new name | Chase UK | 1 |
| An enrolled deed poll, one certified by a solicitor with ID, or a passport or licence | Skipton | 1 |
| Only an enrolled deed poll | Danske Bank | 1 |
| No list of documents published | first direct, Metro Bank | 2 |
GOV.UK warns that some banks may accept only an enrolled deed poll; of these 24, only Danske Bank names nothing else. What will my bank ask for? gives your own bank's rule.
What do other organisations ask for?#
Of the 73 organisations with a guide in this handbook, 3 refuse copies of the document that changed your name: HM Passport Office and DVLA, which send the original back, and Northern Ireland's Driver & Vehicle Agency. Most take a copy, certified or plain, and 23 ask for no document at all or publish nothing on it.
| What the guide records | Count | Organisations |
|---|---|---|
| The original only; copies refused | 3 | HM Passport Office, DVLA (driving licence), the DVA |
| Seen in person only | 3 | HSBC and Santander, in a branch; DBS, at the identity check |
| The original or a certified copy | 13 | Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Nationwide, Coventry, Skipton, Tesco Bank, the Co-operative Bank, Virgin Money, HM Land Registry, NHS Pensions, the share registrars |
| A plain copy, scan, photo or upload | 31 | Among them the phone and broadband companies except Sky, the GMC, NMC and HCPC, the Office of the Public Guardian, councils, Monzo and NatWest |
| No document, left to staff, or not published | 23 | Among them HMRC, the electoral register, TV Licensing, the energy suppliers, GP practices and employers |
Each is counted once, by the least it accepts on any route, from its guide's at-a-glance summary, written from its own pages between 13 September and 22 October 2026. Skipton, NHS Pensions and Computershare want a solicitor's certified copy. What every organisation asks for shows each rule.
How long do things take?#
Where GOV.UK or HM Passport Office states a time:
| Step | How long |
|---|---|
| A passport in a new name | Usually within 3 weeks of HM Passport Office receiving your documents; longer if it needs more information or an interview |
| 1 week Fast Track, which covers a change of name | An appointment as soon as the next day, and the passport by courier a week after it |
| 1 day Online Premium | Not for a change of name: HM Passport Office limits it to adult renewals with no change of personal details |
| A driving licence in a new name | No time given; GOV.UK says you can drive while you wait |
| A V5C log book in a new name | Up to 6 weeks |
| Enrolling a deed poll | Several months; you can ask for an update after 6 months |
| A General Register Office certificate | Sent 4 days after you apply with the index reference, 15 working days without; next working day with priority if ordered by 4pm |
How long a passport in a new name takes has the detail.
How to cite this report#
Cite it as: Deed Polls Online, UK name change report 2026, checked 23 October 2026, https://www.deedpolls-online.co.uk/answers/name-change-report-2026.
The figures are free to reuse with a link to this page. Quote the 2026 Gazette count with its date range, 1 January to 23 October 2026, as it will rise while more deeds are published. Monthly counts since 2012 are a CSV file, and this address returns the 2026 count as "f:total", with no key needed:
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/notice/data.json?noticetypes=2901&start-publish-date=2026-01-01&end-publish-date=2026-10-23&results-page-size=1
The bank and organisation counts are ours, from each one's own pages on the dates above.
Questions people ask
Do Scotland and Northern Ireland publish name change figures?
No. National Records of Scotland and the General Register Office for Northern Ireland can record a change of name against a birth registered there, but neither publishes how many. Deeds enrolled in the High Court in Northern Ireland appear in The Belfast Gazette: 6 notices in 2025 and 1 from 1 January to 23 October 2026, included in the totals above.
Is a deed poll valid if it is not enrolled?
Yes. GOV.UK says anyone aged 16 or over can make a deed poll and use the new name straight away; enrolment, which puts the change on public record, is optional. Some banks want ID in the new name beside an unenrolled deed poll, as the bank table shows. Enrolled and unenrolled deed polls compares the two.
How often is this report published?
Once a year. This edition was checked on 23 October 2026. Between editions, the pages each section links to are updated when a figure, fee or rule changes, so check them for anything later.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
