What most people pay#
By deed poll, usually £120.50: £18.50 for the deed poll drafted by us and £102 for a passport in the new name, applied for online. The passport is the larger part, because a change of name means a new passport rather than an amendment to the old one. Write the deed yourself from GOV.UK's wording and the deed poll costs nothing. Almost everything else is free: a driving licence costs nothing to change, and banks, employers and HMRC charge nothing to update a name.
| Item | Cost | Do you need it? |
|---|---|---|
| A deed poll | Nothing if you write it yourself; £18.50 drafted by us, plus delivery from £2.99 | Yes, unless a marriage or civil partnership certificate covers the change |
| Enrolling the deed poll with the High Court | £53.05 | No: it is optional, and only a few organisations ask for it |
| Certified copies of the deed | From us, £6 for 2 up to £25 for 20 | No, but they save posting the original |
| A passport in the new name | £102 online or £115.50 on a paper form; for a child, £66.50 or £80 | To travel or prove your identity in the new name |
| The 1 week Fast Track passport service | £192 for an adult or £156.50 for a child, instead of the standard fee | Only if the usual three weeks is too long |
| A driving licence | Nothing; £17 if you change the photo at the same time | If you hold one |
| The V5C log book | Usually nothing, GOV.UK says | If a vehicle is registered to you |
| Recording the change against a birth registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland | £40 in Scotland, plus £10 for each extra family member applying with you; £35 in Northern Ireland | No: it is optional |
| Updating your bank, employer, HMRC, utilities and council | Nothing | Yes |
The cost calculator adds up your own total, item by item.
How much does it cost to change your last name?#
The same as changing any other part of your name. A deed poll records the whole change, whether that is your surname alone or every name you have, so a new last name costs nothing if you write the deed yourself or £18.50 drafted by us, plus £102 for the passport online. Taking a spouse's or civil partner's surname costs only the passport: GOV.UK says you do not need a deed poll for that, because the marriage or civil partnership certificate is the evidence, and the passport office accepts it for a double-barrelled surname too. Changing only your first name or your surname.
The deed poll#
- Writing your own: nothing. GOV.UK publishes the wording, and the deed is valid once signed in front of witnesses.
- Drafted by us: £18.50 for an adult, child or replacement deed poll, plus Royal Mail delivery from £2.99. Certified copies are £6 for 2, £10 for 6, £15 for 10, £20 for 15 or £25 for 20, and a board-backed envelope is £1.99. Every price is on the prices and delivery page.
- A solicitor: GOV.UK notes a solicitor may charge a fee; solicitors set their own, and a solicitor is not needed for the deed to be valid.
- Enrolling with the High Court: £53.05 in court fees, which is optional and makes a difference only at a few organisations, such as some banks and the Railcard scheme (enrolled and unenrolled deed polls).
Everything else#
Banks, lenders, pensions, employers, utilities, HMRC and your council update a name for nothing, and so do most insurers, though a few charge an admin fee: Admiral £15, and AXA £25 for car or £17 for home insurance if it makes the change for you rather than you making it online (insurance). Where an organisation keeps a certified copy of the deed, the cost is the copy.
Using the deed abroad#
Countries that ask for an apostille add the Legalisation Office's fee: GOV.UK's legalisation service charges per document, with a paper apostille and an e-Apostille priced separately, and a notary's certification, where one is asked for, is charged at the notary's own rate. Using a UK deed poll abroad.
What there is no charge for#
There is no annual fee, no renewal and no subscription attached to a deed poll. If a company is taking money from you every month for one, it is not us, and is someone charging me every month for a deed poll? explains what to do.
A fuller example#
Someone changing their surname, ordering ten certified copies from us with Tracked delivery, and renewing their passport online: £18.50 plus £15 plus £6.99 plus £102, which is £142.49, of which the passport is the greater part. Someone who writes their own deed and has no passport to renew pays nothing at all.
Questions people ask
Is it free to change your name?
The change itself can be. GOV.UK publishes deed poll wording you can use for nothing, a driving licence is updated free, and most organisations charge nothing. The usual unavoidable cost is a new passport, if you have one: £102 online. Can I get a deed poll for free?
How much does it cost to go back to my maiden name?
Often nothing for the change itself. For a passport, GOV.UK asks for your birth certificate, your marriage certificate showing both names, a signed statement that you have gone back to your previous surname for all purposes, and a document showing the name in use; the passport is £102 online. Going back to your maiden name after divorce.
Does it cost anything to change the name on a driving licence?
No. GOV.UK says it does not cost anything to change your name on your driving licence. Changing the photo at the same time is £17, and replacing a lost licence is £20. Changing your name with DVLA.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
