How government bodies handle a new name#
There is no single form that tells them all. GOV.UK describes its Tell Us Once service only as a way to report a death to most government organisations in one go, so a change of name goes to each body on its own. Most of them take it online: HMRC through your online account or the HMRC app, the electoral register through a fresh registration that GOV.UK says usually takes about five minutes, Universal Credit and UK Visas and Immigration through your own account, and TV Licensing on its website with your licence number.
Two bodies are stricter, and they set the order for everything else. HM Passport Office's guidance to its staff says evidence of a change of name must be an original or a replacement document, and GOV.UK asks for a document showing you already use the new name, such as a payslip or a letter from your council. DVLA also wants originals (GOV.UK says not to send photocopies) and, where the evidence is a deed poll, one more document showing the new name, issued after the deed (for most kinds, within the last 12 months). So tell your bank, HMRC and your council first, then apply for the passport and the licence one after the other, because each needs the original deed. Who to tell, and in what order sets out the whole sequence.
The rest ask for less. HM Land Registry accepts a certified copy, Student Finance England a clear photocopy, Disclosure Scotland a copy, and HMRC nothing at all unless it writes to ask. If a counter clerk or a form insists on something the body's own guidance does not, what to do if your deed poll is refused has the steps.
Our guides#
Changing a director's name with Companies House 
Changing the name on your GHIC or UK EHIC 
Changing your name and DBS checks 
Changing your name for council tax 
Changing your name on PIP and Adult Disability Payment 
Changing your name on a Blue Badge, bus pass or Railcard 
Changing your name on a Northern Ireland driving licence 
Changing your name on a lasting power of attorney 
Changing your name on house deeds in Scotland and Northern Ireland 
Changing your name on the electoral register 
Changing your name on the property register: HM Land Registry 
Changing your name on your TV Licence 
Changing your name on your eVisa and UKVI account 
Changing your name on your vehicle log book (V5C) 
Changing your name with Child Benefit 
Changing your name with DVLA: your driving licence 
Changing your name with DWP: Universal Credit and other benefits 
Changing your name with HM Passport Office 
Changing your name with HMRC: tax, National Insurance and Child Benefit 
Changing your name with the NHS and your GP
Who to tell, and what each asks for#
| Organisation | How to tell them | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| HM Passport Office | Apply for a new passport: £102 online, £115.50 on paper | The original deed poll and a document showing the new name in use |
| DVLA: driving licence | Form D1 from most Post Offices, by post; free | Original documents, no photocopies, plus one document in the new name issued after the deed |
| DVLA: vehicle log book (V5C) | Post the whole log book with a letter; usually free | Proof such as a deed poll; none after marriage or divorce |
| HMRC | Online after signing in, or in the HMRC app | Nothing, unless HMRC asks you to confirm your details |
| DWP and Universal Credit | Sign in to your Universal Credit account and report the change | No published list of evidence |
| Child Benefit | The person claiming tells HMRC | Nothing unless HMRC asks; a child's change by deed poll is reported too |
| The State Pension | The Pension Service, by phone or post; a name cannot be changed online | No published list of evidence |
| Office of the Public Guardian | Email or post, for the donor or an attorney on a lasting power of attorney | A copy of the certificate or deed poll, not the original |
| The electoral register | Register again online, in about five minutes | No documents; your National Insurance number if you have one |
| Council tax | Your own council, often through an online account or form | Set by each council; Leeds, for one, asks for a copy of the deed poll |
| HM Land Registry | Form AP1 by post; free | A certified copy: HM Land Registry's AP1 guidance says it destroys documents after scanning, except cherished ones |
| Companies House | The company files it online, or on form CH01 for a director | The new name; GOV.UK lists no evidence to send |
| The NHS and your GP | Your GP surgery, not the NHS App | Whatever the practice asks to see; the practice passes the change on |
| DBS | On your next application for a check | Every name you have used since birth, with dates |
| TV Licensing | Online, with your TV Licence number | No proof mentioned; the new name shows on the licence at renewal |
| UK Visas and Immigration (eVisa) | Online, in your UKVI account | An identity document that shows the new name, such as a passport |
| DVSA: theory test | A test booked in the old name: take proof on the day | A deed poll or marriage certificate; without one, cancel and rebook in the new name |
| Student Loans Company | While studying, upload it to your Student Finance England account; once repaying, phone the SLC repayment team | While studying, a signed, dated covering letter and a clear photocopy of the deed poll |
| Blue Badge (your council) | Your local council, which can replace the badge | Set by each council: Essex takes a copy of the deed poll or certificate, and a new badge costs £10 at Essex and Surrey; keep using the old one until it arrives |
| Disclosure Scotland (PVG) | Its update form, by email; PVG members within three months | A copy of a deed poll, marriage certificate, passport or photocard licence |
| AccessNI | Update your nidirect account, which fills in AccessNI applications | Identity documents that match the name on the account |
The Student Loans Company row gives Student Finance England's process while you study and the Student Loans Company's once you have left your course; Student Finance Wales, SAAS and Student Finance NI have their own, all covered in the Student Finance guide.
Questions people ask
Do I need to use the government to change my name?
No. GOV.UK says that if you are 16 or over you can make a deed poll yourself and start using the new name, and that a signed deed poll can be used straight away as proof. If you are 18 or over you can also enrol it with the High Court, for £53.05, which puts the change on public record. Enrolling a deed poll.
Do I have to tell anyone by law?
Some changes are duties. GOV.UK says you must update your vehicle log book and can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA, and that people with an eVisa should update the name on their UKVI account. Members of Scotland's PVG scheme must tell Disclosure Scotland within three months, and not doing so is an offence. Registered sex, violent and terrorist offenders must tell the police within three days. Criminal records and a new name.
Will my National Insurance number or NHS number change?
No. GOV.UK says your National Insurance number remains the same for life, and the NHS says your NHS number is valid for life unless a new one is assigned for a reason such as adoption or gender reassignment. Your passport number does change: GOV.UK says a new passport will not have the same number as the old one.
Is it different in Northern Ireland or Scotland?
Mostly the same bodies. In Northern Ireland, nidirect says you must tell the Driver and Vehicle Agency of a new name immediately, on form DL1 by post, not online; checks come from AccessNI; and GOV.UK sends State Pension changes to the Northern Ireland Pension Centre. In Scotland, PVG members tell Disclosure Scotland. Changing your name in Northern Ireland.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
