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When something goes wrong

What to do if an organisation refuses your deed poll

Most refusals are a cautious member of staff. The steps that fix them, what HM Passport Office tells its own staff to accept, and where our guarantee comes in.

Checked against GOV.UK Updated

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The short answer

Ask what exactly is being refused. Most refusals end when you send a certified copy or point to the organisation's own policy. HM Passport Office tells its staff to accept an unenrolled deed poll signed in both names, witnessed, in wet ink and dated. If a deed we drafted is still refused, we take it up and refund you.

Key facts

First question
What exactly do they need, the original, a certified copy, or a different document?
Passport office
Must accept a deed poll signed in both names, witnessed, in wet ink and dated
"Enrolled only"
GOV.UK says some organisations may insist; it is their policy, not the law
Our guarantee
Tell us in writing; we take it up with them and refund you if it is still refused
Last resort
The organisation's complaints procedure, then an ombudsman where one exists
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On this page 6 sections
  1. Start by finding out what is being refused
  2. What the passport office tells its staff
  3. "We only accept enrolled deed polls"
  4. The five steps that work
  5. When the deed itself is the problem
  6. If it is one of ours

Start by finding out what is being refused#

"We can't accept this" covers four different problems, and each has a different fix. The organisation may want the original when you sent a photocopy, or a certified copy when you sent a plain one. It may have a policy of accepting only enrolled deed polls. A member of staff may have spotted a real fault: a missing witness, no date, a signature in one name only. Or the person in front of you may simply never have seen a deed poll before. Ask, politely and in writing if you can, exactly what they need and where that requirement is written down. Most refusals do not survive the question.

What the passport office tells its staff#

HM Passport Office publishes the guidance its caseworkers work from, and it is the clearest statement of what a deed poll needs. Staff must accept an unenrolled deed poll or change of name deed if it is signed in both the old and new names, signed by at least one witness, signed in wet ink, dated, and there is no doubt about how genuine it is. The witness does not need to be a solicitor. Staff are told to ask for a new deed only if one of those things is missing, and they are told not to make any inappropriate comment about the deed or the company that issued it. Deed polls made overseas and deed polls issued on behalf of a family must be accepted too.

That is the most demanding organisation in the country, in writing. A bank, an employer or a pension provider has no stronger reason to refuse a deed the passport office accepts, and saying so, with the guidance to hand, usually settles it.

"We only accept enrolled deed polls"#

GOV.UK acknowledges that some organisations, and it names some banks, mobile phone companies and energy providers, may only accept an enrolled deed poll, and tells you to contact the organisation to check. That is a policy, not the law: enrolment puts a change of name on public record for £53.05 and takes several months, and GOV.UK describes it as optional. If you meet this, ask for the policy in writing; it is rare for one to exist. In practice a certified copy of the deed with a second document showing the name in use, a payslip or a letter from your council, is what resolves it, because what the member of staff usually wants is reassurance that the change is real and in use.

The five steps that work#

  1. Send a certified copy, not a photocopy. Organisations that keep a copy on file want one certified as a true copy. Never post the original unless the organisation returns it; the passport office and DVLA do.
  2. Add a second document. Something that already shows the new name, such as a bank letter or a payslip, answers the "is this in use" question before it is asked.
  3. Ask for the requirement in writing, with the name of the person you spoke to. Many refusals are one person's caution, and a written request goes to someone who knows the policy.
  4. Quote the sources. GOV.UK's deed poll page and HM Passport Office's guidance say what a deed poll is and what must be accepted.
  5. Escalate. Every regulated organisation has a complaints procedure, and banks, insurers and other financial businesses can be taken to the Financial Ombudsman Service once that procedure is exhausted.

When the deed itself is the problem#

Sometimes the refusal is right. A deed signed in the new name only, undated, or witnessed by nobody is not a deed poll, and the answer is to make a new one and sign it properly. A name that breaks GOV.UK's rules, one with numbers or symbols, or a title, will be refused by the passport office whatever the deed says, and the answer is a different name. The guide to signing and witnessing sets out the order of signatures and the mistakes that get deeds refused.

If it is one of ours#

Every deed poll we draft is guaranteed to be accepted. If any UK organisation refuses one, tell us in writing with the organisation's name and what they said. We take it up with them directly, and if the deed is still refused we refund you in full. In practice the first step above resolves almost every case before it reaches us, but the guarantee is there so that you never have to argue alone.

Sources

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