A national charity and hundreds of local ones#
The first 200 Citizens Advice bureaux opened on 4 September 1939, the day after war was declared, run by volunteers. Today the national charity, registered as the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, writes the online advice and runs national phone and chat services, while local Citizens Advice, each a charity of its own, give advice in person. Together they cover debt, benefits, housing, work, family, consumer and immigration problems. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate services: see Citizens Advice Scotland, which publishes a full guide to the Scottish routes.
Getting advice#
The contact page finds your local Citizens Advice by postcode or town; most can help only people who live or work in their area. In England, Adviceline usually runs on weekday working hours and connects you to a local adviser, with waits that can reach an hour. In Wales, Advicelink is open on weekdays into the evening and on Saturday mornings, and advice pages come in Welsh. Web chat is offered by topic, including debt, claiming Universal Credit and a general chat for other problems. No referral is needed.
What Citizens Advice says about names#
There is no standalone page on changing your name in England and Wales, but two short sections deal with it.
- Young people. Its page on young people and family has a section headed "Changing your name". It says you cannot change your name until you are 16, that between 16 and 18 you might need parental consent, that an adult might be able to change the name of someone under 16, and it links to GOV.UK's deed poll guide.
- Divorce. Its divorce guidance (last reviewed in 2019) says that if your name differs from your marriage or civil partnership certificate, you will need to explain why on your application, and you might need to send your deed poll.
Its guide to getting a bank account adds a useful line for anyone short of documents: a bank should accept a letter from a responsible person who knows you, such as a GP, teacher, social worker or probation officer.
The rule at 16 and 17, as GOV.UK puts it#
GOV.UK says that if you are 16 or over you can make an unenrolled deed poll yourself and start using the new name, and that a 16 or 17 year old can choose to make their own. Enrolment, the optional public record, is open to you directly from 18; before that, a parent or guardian applies with your written agreement. For anyone under 16, the change needs the agreement of everyone with parental responsibility, or a court order. HM Passport Office's guidance also says 16 and 17 year olds can change their name without parental consent unless a court order says otherwise. Changing your name at 16 or 17 sets out the exceptions, such as a care order.
Names and divorce#
If you are going back to a former name, GOV.UK says you may be able to do it by showing your marriage or civil partnership certificate with your decree absolute or final order, though some organisations will not change a name back without a deed poll. Going back to your maiden name after divorce explains what each one asks for. If you changed your name by deed poll during the marriage, keep it with your divorce papers, since the court may ask why the names differ.
This page describes what Citizens Advice publishes on its own website, read on 26 October 2026. Citizens Advice has not reviewed it, and listing a charity here does not mean it recommends this handbook or any deed poll service.
