How do I change my name with the Co-operative Bank?#
By post or in a branch. The Co-op's page on updating your details asks for an original or certified copy of your marriage certificate, decree absolute or deed poll, "plus examples of your old and new signatures". Post them to The Co-operative Bank, PO Box 4931, Swindon, SN4 4PL. If you would rather not post your documents, the page says you can take them to your local branch instead, and the Co-op's branch finder shows where they are.
The Co-op then updates your name, confirms the change to you in writing and returns the documents you sent. It says this usually takes 7 to 10 working days.
The page's online banking and app routes cover your address, phone number and email address, not your name, and the Co-op asks you to allow one working day for a new phone number or address.
What to send#
The page names no form except for mortgages, so what you post is the document, your two signatures and enough for the bank to find your account. What to put in a change of name letter sets out what a covering letter should say.
- The document. A deed poll, a marriage certificate or a decree absolute, whichever changed your name.
- Original or certified copy. Either is accepted, and originals come back. The page does not say who may certify a copy. The Co-op's guidance on identification documents lists the professions it accepts as certifiers, among them an accountant, bank official, solicitor, doctor, councillor, minister of religion and police officer, and asks each to write that the copy is a true copy of the original. What is a certified copy? explains the rest.
- Your signatures. Examples of your old signature and your new one.
For accounts other than a mortgage, the Co-op's page draws no line between a new surname and a new first name, and it asks for neither an enrolled deed poll nor photo ID in the new name. Its terms for personal current accounts list telling it of a change of name as soon as possible among your security precautions, so that post and replacement cards do not "fall into the wrong hands".
Changing the name on a Co-op mortgage#
A mortgage has its own change of name form, a Word document linked from the same page. The Co-op needs your handwritten signature on it and offers two ways to get the form to you: print it and complete every section, or complete only the account and contact details section, email that to the address on the form, and the bank posts you the full form. Either way, the completed form and your documents go to The Co-operative Bank, PO Box 4934, Swindon, SN4 4PN, a different PO box from the one for other accounts.
The form asks for your old and new title, first names and surname, both signatures, and one of these, each as an original or a certified copy:
| Why your name changed | What the mortgage form asks for |
|---|---|
| Marriage | Your marriage certificate |
| Civil partnership | Your certificate of civil partnership |
| Divorce | The decree absolute, plus your original birth certificate or marriage certificate |
| End of a civil partnership | The decree absolute, plus your birth certificate or certificate of civil partnership |
| A deed poll or statutory declaration | The deed poll or declaration; an unenrolled deed poll needs identification as well |
The form also covers adoption, separation and gender recognition, says a statutory declaration must be witnessed by a solicitor, and asks for a certified English translation of any document issued abroad in another language.
The mortgage rule for an unenrolled deed poll#
The form says that if a deed poll is unenrolled, the Co-op needs "the original or certified original copy of identification to accompany" it, and names a passport, driving licence, national ID card or residence permit. It does not say whether that identification must show your old name or your new one. If your passport or licence is still in your old name, ask the Co-op through its contact page before you post the form, or send the form once your new passport or licence has arrived.
Changing a passport or licence first needs something from elsewhere. HM Passport Office asks for your deed poll and one document showing you already use the new name, and DVLA, when your evidence is a deed poll, asks for one document in the new name issued in the last 12 months, or your new passport number. DVLA's list and the passport office's guidance both include a UK bank statement. A Co-op current account can supply one, because its route takes a deed poll without the extra condition. Changing your name with HM Passport Office and with DVLA set out each step. Enrolment is the slower way round the rule: GOV.UK says it costs £53.05 and can take several months.
The form recommends posting certified copies rather than originals. It adds that the person certifying must not be related to you by birth or marriage, be named on the account or live at your address, must give their name, signature, organisation, profession, business address and a business telephone number that is not a mobile, and must state that they have seen the original. A photocopy of a certified copy is not accepted.
Other Co-op accounts#
The change of name section speaks of the name on your account and does not list credit cards or savings separately, so name every Co-op account and card you hold in what you send. Adding or removing a borrower on a mortgage is a different request, a transfer of equity, which the Co-op charges a fee for and which needs a solicitor. The name on the title to your home is a separate matter for HM Land Registry.
For every other bank, changing your name with your bank compares how they work.
Questions people ask
Is there a Co-op Bank change of name form?
For a mortgage, yes: a Word document linked from the Co-op's page on updating your details. For other accounts the page names no form, so you post your document with examples of your old and new signatures. What to put in a change of name letter explains what to write with them.
Can I change my name with the Co-operative Bank online or in the app?
Not according to its page. Online banking and the app are its routes for your address, phone number and email address; a new name goes by post or through a branch, with your documents.
Does the Co-operative Bank accept a deed poll I made myself?
For accounts other than a mortgage, its page lists a deed poll without saying it must be enrolled, so a deed poll you signed and had witnessed is on the list. For a mortgage, the form accepts an unenrolled deed poll only with identification beside it: a passport, driving licence, national ID card or residence permit.
How do I change my name at the Co-op after marriage?
Post an original or certified copy of your marriage certificate with examples of your old and new signatures, or take them to a branch. For a mortgage, the form lists the marriage certificate and says your old and new signatures must be on the form itself. Changing your name after marriage covers everyone else.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
