Changing a trans child's name

The name: the same rule as any child's#

A trans child's name changes the way any child's does. A parent makes a deed poll on the child's behalf, and GOV.UK requires the agreement of everyone with parental responsibility, or a court order. The deed poll wording GOV.UK gives records the old and new names, not a reason for the change, and GOV.UK's list for a child's passport in a new name includes no medical evidence: the deed poll, a record showing the new name in use, such as NHS, Child Benefit or school records, and written consent from everyone with parental responsibility.

HM Passport Office applies the consent rule to any change of a child's name, a first name as much as a surname, and it applies the same approach across the UK. Changing a child's name explains who holds parental responsibility.

If a parent does not agree#

A deed poll cannot be made without everyone who holds parental responsibility, and HM Passport Office will not accept a child's change of name without their consent or a court order. If one parent will not agree, the route is an application to the family court, and GOV.UK says the judge will decide what is in the child's best interests. The Children Act 1989 requires the court to consider, among other things, the child's wishes and feelings in the light of their age and understanding. Changing a child's surname without the other parent's consent and how the court decides explain the application.

At 16 or 17#

GOV.UK says a young person of 16 or 17 can make their own unenrolled deed poll. HM Passport Office's guidance says that when a 16 or 17 year old has changed their own name after turning 16, and no court order is in place, it needs nobody else's consent and will not accept an objection from anyone with parental responsibility. The gender marker is treated differently, as the next section explains. Sixteen and seventeen covers the rest.

The gender marker on a passport#

The name and the gender shown on a passport are separate requests. Nobody under 18 can hold a Gender Recognition Certificate, and for an applicant without one HM Passport Office's guidance asks for:

• a letter asking for the change of gender
• a letter from a medical professional, dated and signed by hand, confirming the name and gender the child uses for all purposes and that the change is likely to be permanent (GPs, gender dysphoria specialists, clinical psychologists and specialist nurses are among those it accepts)
• evidence of the change of name and that the new name is in use
• the written consent of everyone with parental responsibility

For a child under 16, the guidance says HM Passport Office has no authority to issue a passport in a different gender without the consent of everyone with parental responsibility or a court order authorising the change, and a court order must say both that the passport can show the new gender and that it can be issued without everyone's consent. Where asking a parent would put the child at risk, staff are told to advise the family not to ask, to explain the court route, and to say that without an order the passport will be issued in the original gender.

At 16 and 17 consent is still needed, with some exceptions: an application within two weeks of the 18th birthday can be held until that day, and a young person with no contact with either parent may be issued a passport in the new gender, though the parents can later object. If a parent formally refuses consent, the guidance says the application will not succeed.

The guidance says a passport can only show male or female. Staff are told to deal with these applications sensitively, not to disclose a person's previous gender, and to speak to the customer before sending anything in writing about a change of gender.

School#

Schools and colleges in England must have regard to Keeping children safe in education 2026, statutory guidance in force since 1 September 2026. It now contains the government's guidance on children who are questioning their gender; the Department for Education decided not to publish the draft it consulted on from December 2023 as separate guidance. The main points for a family:

• It is not for the school to start anything. The guidance applies when a child or parent asks for support with what it calls social transition, and the department has said this covers requests to "support a change in pronouns, names or uniform".
• Staff should not adopt any change until the school has made a decision with the child's parents or carers involved, and their views should carry great weight. In the rare cases where involving parents would put the child at greater risk, the school's designated safeguarding lead first decides what is needed.
• The decision turns on the best interests of the child and other children and may not match the child's wishes. Primary schools are expected to be particularly cautious.
• Schools must record a child's biological sex accurately wherever it is recorded.

The guidance does not deal with deed polls. Changing a child's name at school covers how a school records a change of legal name.

Keeping the change private#

An unenrolled deed poll is not put on any public record. Enrolling a child's deed poll with the High Court is optional and puts the child's new name in The Gazette; GOV.UK says that if there is a strong reason the details should not be published, you can explain it in the application, and the judge may agree to publish only the first name or the surname. Enrolled and unenrolled deed polls explains what enrolment involves.

Support for families#

The NHS says to see a GP if you think your child might have gender dysphoria or incongruence. For under-18s, a GP can refer to a paediatrician or to children and young people's mental health services, which can refer on to the NHS children and young people's gender service and can offer support while a family waits. The NHS pages on gender dysphoria and incongruence and mental health support for children and young people are the places to start, and the NHS referral service's page for patients and parents explains the waiting list and lists other sources of support. For adults, changing your name when you transition goes organisation by organisation.