Two DVLA records, two jobs#
Your driving licence and your vehicle's log book are separate records, and GOV.UK's licence page says in terms that you must also update your V5C if you change your name. The licence is form D1 by post; the log book is the log book itself, sent back to DVLA.
What GOV.UK says to do#
You must update the log book if you change your name, and GOV.UK says it is usually free. The warning is plain: you can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA when your name changes. The same page lets you correct a name that was spelt wrongly by mistake.
When you fill in the log book and send it off, GOV.UK says to make sure that:
- it has only one person's name in it;
- you include a letter explaining why the name in the log book needs to change;
- you include proof of the change if you are legally changing your name, for example a deed poll;
- if the registered keeper is a business, you include proof of the business's name change, such as a certificate of incorporation from Companies House.
You do not need to include proof if you are changing your name because you got married or divorced, or because the log book has a spelling mistake.
For the new-style log book, the one with multi-coloured numbered blocks on the front, write the new name in full in section 3, not initials, and send the whole log book to the DVLA address in section 3. GOV.UK's page also covers the older style of log book. It can take up to six weeks to get the new log book after you send it off.
A new name and a new address together#
If you have moved house as well, GOV.UK's page for changing both at once says it can only be done by post: fill in the relevant sections (section 3 on a new-style log book, no PO Box addresses), send the whole log book, and include proof of the change of name such as a marriage certificate or deed poll. If only your address has changed, there is a separate online service, but it cannot be used when the name is changing too.
What to send as proof#
GOV.UK says "for example a deed poll". A certified copy of your deed poll does the job and keeps the original at home; if you send the original, keep a copy of the log book's reference details in case anything goes astray.
Tax, insurance and the rest#
The vehicle tax record is tied to the log book, so once the log book is right the tax follows. Your insurer is a separate call, and the name on the policy should match the name on the licence and the log book, because that is what a claim is checked against.
