Replacement deed poll

What a replacement is

An unenrolled deed poll is a document you hold, not an entry on a register, so there is nowhere to fetch a copy from. A replacement is a fresh deed poll, drafted by a paralegal, that records the change of name you already made and the date you made it. It is evidence of the change in exactly the way the lost one was, and it is signed and witnessed like any other deed.

It does not matter who drafted the original, and you do not need to produce it. If you have never changed your name before, you need an adult deed poll or a child deed poll instead.

Why people need one

It is somewhere in the house, or was. A move, a clear-out, a drawer. The most common reason by a distance, and nothing has gone wrong.
An organisation kept it. Some file what they are sent. A replacement gives you an original again, and certified copies stop it happening twice.
It is damaged or altered. A deed that has been corrected, torn or laminated can be refused. A clean replacement avoids the argument, and this is what to do if one has already been turned away.
The provider has closed. Plenty of small services have; a solicitor may or may not have kept a file. We do not need them to have.

The alternatives, honestly

Ask whoever drafted it. Worth a call if you know who it was and they are still trading. Some keep records and will reissue; many do not, and a solicitor will usually charge for the time.
A photocopy or a scan. Not evidence of anything: anything can be altered before it is copied, and most record-holders will not take one.
Enrolment. Enrolling a deed poll is a separate process for creating a public record. It does not retrieve a lost unenrolled deed, and if yours was never enrolled there is nothing there to find.
A replacement from us. £18.50, drafted and posted the same working day, guaranteed to be accepted.

What we ask at the checkout

The name before and the name afterAs they were on the original, checked letter by letter before printing.
The date you changed your nameYour best recollection; an approximate date is normally enough.
Your titleIf you want it recorded.
Where to post itA UK address.

Nothing is posted to us. If anything needs clarifying, a paralegal emails you before drafting.

What arrives in the envelope

Your replacement deed poll, drafted by a paralegal, printed on certificate paper, with space for your signatures and two witnesses.
A signing and witnessing guide, because a replacement is signed and witnessed like any other deed.
A cover letter template, for any organisation that still needs to see the change.
Any certified copies you ordered, so this one stays safely at home.

Sealed as a replacement deed poll. It records the change you already made and the date you made it, and is signed and witnessed like any other deed.

What you pay

Item	Price
Replacement deed poll, adult or child	£18.50
Royal Mail delivery, chosen at the checkout	from £2.99
Certified copies, optional	2 for £6 · 6 for £10 · 10 for £15 · 15 for £20 · 20 for £25
Board-backed envelope, optional	£1.99
SafeKeep, optional, so it never happens again	£4.99

A typical order is £23.49: the replacement and 1st Class post. Payment by card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Klarna; confirmation by email.

What happens after you order

Confirmation by email It arrives straight away, with everything you entered, so you can check the names and the date.
Drafted and checked A paralegal drafts the deed and a second person checks every name against your order, then it is printed on certificate paper.
Posted the same working day In the Royal Mail service you chose, from £2.99.
Signed and witnessed at home Then it is ready to use, and nothing has to be sent back.

Order today and Royal Mail should deliver it:working days, chosen at the checkout

Drafted and posted the same working day; 2nd Class £2.99 (3 to 5 working days), 1st Class £4.99 (1 to 3), Tracked £6.99 (1 to 2), Tracked and Signed £9.99, International £14.99.

Ordering on another day, or need it by a certain date? Work out the dates

Keeping it safe this time

Order certified copies with it and send those instead of the original (how many you need). SafeKeep holds a secure record of the deed for ten years, so a further replacement can be drafted from it at 25% off if the paper ever goes missing again.

Questions people ask

Does it matter who issued my original deed poll?

No. There is no register of unenrolled deed polls and nobody holds a copy of yours, so a replacement can be drafted whether the original came from us, from another service, from a solicitor or was home-made.

Do I have to change my name again?

No. A replacement records the change you already made and the date you made it. Nothing you have already updated needs undoing, and you are not starting over.

Will a photocopy of my old deed poll do instead?

Usually not. Most organisations accept only an original or a certified copy, and HM Passport Office and DVLA ask for the original itself. A replacement gives you an original again.

What if I cannot remember the exact date I changed my name?

Tell us as much as you know at the checkout. An approximate date is normally enough, and a paralegal emails you before drafting if anything needs pinning down. I have lost my deed poll shows how to narrow it down.

Do I have to tell everyone about my name change again?

No. Your name has not changed. A replacement is for the organisations you have yet to tell, and for the next time someone asks you to prove the change.

Can I replace a child's deed poll?

Yes, at the same £18.50. A parent with parental responsibility applies, and everyone with parental responsibility must agree, exactly as with the original.

Do I need to sign and witness the replacement?

Yes. Like any deed poll it takes effect when you sign it in front of your witnesses, who sign it too. The signing guide we send explains it in a page.

How fast is it?

Drafted and posted the same working day, then Royal Mail: one to two working days with Tracked, one to three with 1st Class. A typical order is £23.49 with 1st Class.

Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.