How to change your name with the NMC#
Log in to MyNMC and update your registered name there. The NMC is clear about why it matters: "It's really important that you're registered using the same name that you practise in," because patients, the public and employers use the register to find the right information about you.
You will need:
- your new name and title;
- a copy of an official document confirming the change, from the NMC's list below;
- the surname and PIN of a referee who can confirm the change, if the NMC requires one.
MyNMC has replaced NMC Online. If you have not logged in before, the NMC says your password the first time is your NMC PIN, you need access to the email address it holds for you, and you set up an extra verification step, such as a one-time passcode sent by email or text message.
Which document to upload#
The NMC publishes a table of the documents it accepts for each kind of change, on a page last updated in February 2026. In short:
| Your change | What the NMC accepts |
|---|---|
| A new surname or title on marriage or civil partnership | The marriage or civil partnership certificate, your old and new passports, or your driving licence |
| A surname or title changed by divorce or dissolution | The decree absolute or "conditional order (final)", a deed poll, your old and new passports, or your driving licence |
| A new first name and a new surname | A deed poll, a statutory declaration or an affidavit, your old and new passports, or your driving licence |
| A new first name | A deed poll or an affidavit, your old and new passports, or your driving licence |
| Back to a surname you were registered under before | A signed statement that you have gone back to it "for all purposes" and no longer use your old name |
| A new title, such as Doctor | A certificate of proof of title |
| A mistake in your details | Your birth certificate, passport or driving licence |
Files must be PDF, GIF, PNG, JPG or JPEG, and the NMC asks you to make sure the document is readable. It asks for "a copy of an official document" and says nothing about certifying it, so a clear scan or photograph of your signed deed poll is what goes in, and the original stays at home. Will organisations accept a photocopy or a PDF? covers the organisations that want more.
The table has no row of its own for a new surname alone made by deed poll, outside marriage or divorce. If that is your change, ask the NMC through its contact page which document it wants before you submit.
The referee#
The NMC asks for a referee "for extra security", to reduce the risk of fraud, and only when it requires one. Your referee must be another registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate with a MyNMC account. You give their surname and PIN, and the NMC emails them to confirm your name change within 28 days. Ask them first, and tell them to look out for the email: the NMC warns that its emails can end up in junk folders.
What the register shows afterwards#
The NMC gives every person on its register "a unique registration code called a PIN". Its change of name page describes updating the name on your existing MyNMC registration and does not say the PIN changes.
The public search shows each person's name, registration status, geographical location, expiry date, register entry, start date and recorded qualifications. A former name is not on the NMC's list of what it shows. Anyone can search by PIN or by first and last name, and the NMC says a PIN search gives the most accurate results, so give an employer your PIN while the name is changing. On 29 September 2026 the search page said its results were accurate to the previous day.
Your statement of entry, which you find in MyNMC, confirms your personal details, your registration status when it is issued, your recorded qualifications and your initial registration date. Employers have their own employer confirmation service for checking registration. HR and payroll are a separate job: your employer keeps its own records and needs telling too.
How long it takes#
The NMC does not publish a processing time for a change of name. The only period it gives is the 28 days within which it asks your referee to confirm.
If you are changing gender as well#
The NMC's change of name page covers names and titles. It publishes no separate process for a change of gender on the register, and gender is not among the details its search shows.
Its guidance on publishing fitness to practise and registration appeal outcomes, version 9 of April 2026, says it will not publish information that would disclose a person's transition to their affirmed gender unless they consent, it is necessary for its statutory duties, or the law permits or requires it. Once told that someone has transitioned, it will not publish anything that would disclose their sex assigned at birth, and where something already published would, for example through a birth name or pronouns, it will usually withdraw it. Any restrictions on practice still appear against the register entry. Changing your name when you transition goes through the other records to update.
Other registers#
If you are also registered with another regulator, each runs its own process and sets its own evidence rules. Professional regulators lists them in one place.
Questions people ask
Will my NMC PIN change when I change my name?
The NMC's page on changing your name does not say it will. It describes the change as updating the registered name in your existing MyNMC account, and the NMC gives each person on its register one unique PIN.
Does the NMC want certified copies of my documents?
Its page does not mention certification. It asks for a copy of an official document, uploaded to MyNMC in PDF, GIF, PNG, JPG or JPEG format and clear enough to read. Nothing is posted.
Do I need a new passport before I tell the NMC?
Not for the changes on its list. For marriage, divorce or a new first name, the NMC accepts a copy of the document that made the change, such as the certificate or the deed poll; copies of your old and new passports are one option among several.
Who can be my referee?
Another registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate who has a MyNMC account. You give their surname and PIN, and the NMC asks for a referee only if it requires one.
Can I change my title at the same time?
Yes: the NMC asks for your new name and title together. For a title such as Doctor, its list asks for a certificate of proof of title, and a deed poll cannot change a title in any case.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
