How do I change my name with Skipton?#
With Skipton's change of name form, which covers savings and mortgage accounts. Fill it in, sign it in your former and new names, and either take it to a branch or post it to Skipton Building Society, Principal Office, The Bailey, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 1DN.
Enclose your passbooks or Certificates of Savings, which the form asks for so they can be amended, and list every account number. Skipton Online and the app change your email address, postal address and phone numbers, not your name. Skipton's pages mention no fee and give no time for the change; its contact page has the other ways to reach it.
What does Skipton accept?#
The form lists the documents it accepts and says they must be "original or solicitor certified copies only".
| Your change | What Skipton's form asks for |
|---|---|
| A new surname after marriage | Your marriage certificate, plus ID if Skipton holds no signature ID for you |
| A new name by deed poll | A deed poll "enrolled at the Royal Courts of Justice", or "a simple deed poll certified by a solicitor" with ID showing your previous signature |
| Divorce, or any document linking your names | A deed poll, decree absolute or final order "showing former & married name", with your marriage certificate if the former name is not shown |
| Any change, instead of the above | "A valid passport or a valid driving licence showing your new name" |
If you have products arranged through Skipton Financial Advisers, the form warns that original documents are forwarded to the providers concerned, which may take some time.
A deed poll you signed yourself: what Skipton means#
A "simple deed poll" is an unenrolled one: signed in front of a witness and kept, as most deed polls are, ours included. Skipton accepts it only "certified by a solicitor", and then wants "identification with your previous signature", which "can also be certified by a solicitor". Its identity leaflet says the same: a simple deed poll "must be a solicitor certified copy", while an enrolled one can be the original or a solicitor-certified copy.
Read literally, that means a solicitor's certified copy even when you go into a branch with the original. Skipton's leaflet also says branch staff will certify documents for you, but it says that about identity documents; neither document says branch certification meets the deed poll rule. If you would rather show the original, ask Skipton before you go.
The certified copies we sell are certified by us, not by a solicitor, so they do not meet Skipton's rule.
Three ways round it#
- A new passport or driving licence. Skipton accepts either in your new name instead of a deed poll, with no solicitor involved. HM Passport Office wants proof that you already use the new name, such as a payslip or a council letter, and DVLA, with a deed poll, wants one document in the new name from the last 12 months, such as an HMRC letter or a UK bank statement. Tell your employer, HMRC or a bank that accepts a deed poll on its own first. HM Passport Office and DVLA have the steps.
- A solicitor's certified copy. A solicitor certifies a copy of your deed poll, and of ID showing your old signature, such as a passport or photocard licence in your old name. Ask the solicitor their charge first; Skipton does not say what it costs.
- Enrolment. GOV.UK says enrolling a deed poll costs £53.05, is for people aged 18 or over and can take several months. How to enrol a deed poll explains.
For most people the first is the quickest, and a passport or licence in your new name is something other banks ask for too.
Mortgages, signatures and other details#
- Your mortgage. The change of name form is on Skipton's mortgage help page as well as its savings page and takes mortgage account numbers, so one form updates both. Skipton's tariff of mortgage charges lists no fee for a change of name. For a new borrower, or a property in joint names, see changing the name on your mortgage and HM Land Registry.
- Signatures. The form needs your former and new signatures. On address changes, Skipton says that if it has no signature on file it may ask you to verify yours, and its form makes the same point for marriage certificates.
- Your title. The form has a space for your preferred title.
For other banks and building societies, changing your name with your bank compares how they work.
Questions people ask
Will Skipton accept a deed poll I made or bought online?
Only if a solicitor certifies it, and then with ID showing your previous signature, going by its change of name form. The form's other routes are a deed poll enrolled at the Royal Courts of Justice, or a valid passport or driving licence in your new name, which needs no deed poll at Skipton at all.
Can I change my name with Skipton online or in the app?
Not according to its help pages. Skipton Online changes your email address, postal address and phone numbers; a name needs the change of name form, in a branch or by post.
Can I change my name at Skipton after marriage?
Yes, with your marriage certificate, the original or a solicitor-certified copy. Skipton's form adds that if it holds no signature ID for you, you must send ID as well. Changing your name after marriage covers the rest.
Does the form change my Skipton mortgage too?
Yes. The same form appears on Skipton's mortgage and savings help pages and has spaces for both kinds of account number, so one form can cover all of them. Adding or removing a borrower is a different process; changing the name on your mortgage explains.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
