What energy, water and phone companies ask for#
An energy, water or phone account is held in your name, and each company has its own way of changing it. Their help pages fall into three patterns. Each company's name in the tables links to our guide where we have one, and otherwise to its own page, checked on 29 September 2026.
Energy suppliers change a name when you contact them. British Gas sends you to live chat, and Octopus Energy and EDF to their contact pages; EDF's online account changes your email and contact details, but for the name it asks you to get in touch. None of the three lists a document. OVO's staff, answering on its own forum, say it asks for documents such as a marriage certificate. E.ON Next and ScottishPower publish no process for a change of name.
Water companies in England and Wales that publish a route mostly point you to your online account: United Utilities, Anglian Water and Thames Water do, and Welsh Water has an online form. None of them lists a document. In Scotland most households pay for water with their council tax, so the council is the one to tell. In Northern Ireland households receive no water bill.
Phone and broadband providers ask for proof. Virgin Media, EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three each want the deed poll, or the certificate for a marriage or civil partnership, and TalkTalk takes the deed poll, a marriage certificate or a decree absolute among other proof; all six take a copy, a scan or a photo, and none asks for a certified copy. Sky says a change by deed poll needs legal proof and asks for two supporting documents, one showing your previous name and one your new, each with your current address. BT publishes no process.
Our guides#
Each of these is written from the company's own published process, with the route, the documents it asks for and anything that differs from the rest.
Changing your name with EE 
Changing your name with O2 
Changing your name with Sky 
Changing your name with TalkTalk 
Changing your name with Three 
Changing your name with Virgin Media 
Changing your name with Vodafone
Two cautions#
GOV.UK says some organisations, naming mobile phone companies and energy providers among them, may only accept an enrolled deed poll, and tells you to check with the organisation. None of the UK help pages below asks for one; enrolled and unenrolled deed polls explains the difference. And TalkTalk warns that it does not return what you send, so send a copy wherever one is accepted and keep the original deed at home. Will organisations accept a photocopy or a PDF? covers who wants what.
Changing your name with your energy supplier#
| Company | How to tell them | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| British Gas | Live chat, which its help pages give as the route for a changed surname or a new named account holder | No document listed |
| Octopus Energy | Get in touch through its contact page, which its help page gives as the way to change a name | No document listed |
| EDF | Get in touch, which EDF gives as the way to change the name; MyAccount covers your email and contact details | No document listed |
| OVO | Its support team: the help page lists your name among the details you cannot change in your online account | Documents, such as a marriage certificate, says a staff answer on OVO's forum updated on 2 September 2026 |
| E.ON Next | No published process: contact it | Not published |
| ScottishPower | Check your online account, which it says lets you update your personal details; nothing is published on names | Not published |
Changing your name with your water company#
In England and Wales your water company bills you directly. In Scotland and Northern Ireland it usually does not, as the last two rows explain.
| Company | How to tell them | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Thames Water | Update your details in your online account, or contact it | No document listed |
| Severn Trent | No published process: check the profile page of your online account, or contact it | Not published |
| United Utilities | The main account holder can add, amend or remove names in My Account, under My Property and Billing Details | No document listed |
| Anglian Water | Request the change through the My Profile tab in MyAccount, or contact it | No document listed |
| Yorkshire Water | Get in touch, and it will talk through the change you need | Not published |
| Southern Water | No published process: contact it | Not published |
| Welsh Water (Dŵr Cymru) | Its online change of name form, for the account holder, which lists a deed poll among the reasons for using it | Your account reference number, date of birth, email address, contact number and both names; its list of what you need includes no document |
| Scottish Water | Most households pay water charges with their council tax, so tell your council; a home with a water meter is billed by Scottish Water itself | What your council asks for |
| NI Water | Households get no bill: NI Water says it will not bill domestic customers in 2026-27, and that the Department for Infrastructure pays on their behalf | Nothing, for a household |
Changing your name with your phone, mobile or broadband provider#
| Company | How to tell them | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| BT | No published process: its help centre has none for a change of name, so contact it | Not published |
| Sky | Contact it. A new surname after marriage or divorce can be changed over the phone without proof | Legal proof for a deed poll: two supporting documents, one showing your previous name and one your new, both with your current address; it lists a driving licence, bank statement, council tax bill, water bill or utility bill |
| Virgin Media | Its Change of Details Form, sent by email or post | A copy of the deed poll, or of a marriage or civil partnership certificate; it aims to change the name within 48 hours |
| EE | By post with a covering letter, in an EE store, or by email with a scan or photo | Your deed poll, which EE calls the deed poll certificate, a marriage or civil partnership certificate, or a decree absolute |
| Vodafone | Its online name change form | A clear photo or scan of the deed poll, uploaded with the form; it aims to make the change within 24 hours |
| O2 | In My O2: Manage details, then Edit your name | An upload of the deed poll, a marriage or civil partnership certificate, or, in Scotland only, a reissued birth certificate showing both names |
| Three | Pay monthly: by post, with a covering letter asking for the change. Pay as you go: contact Three | A copy of the deed poll, a marriage or civil partnership certificate, or a decree absolute; the pay as you go page lists no document |
| TalkTalk | A change of name form from My Account, or the change of name process in the TalkTalk app | ID with the form, including proof of the change, such as the deed poll, a marriage certificate, a decree absolute, a statutory declaration, or two bank or council tax statements for the same account showing the change; send copies, as TalkTalk does not return documents |
Questions people ask
Can I change the name on my bills after marriage?
Yes. Sky says a new surname after marriage or divorce can be changed over the phone without legal proof. EE, O2, Three, Vodafone and Virgin Media ask for the marriage or civil partnership certificate; EE says a passport or utility bill alone is not enough, and Three takes a passport with a recent utility bill if you have no certificate. The certificate works because it shows the names you had on the day.
How do I change the name on my BT account?
BT's help centre publishes no process for a change of name: its account pages cover contact details, Direct Debits and bereavement, not names. Contact BT and ask what it needs, with a copy or scan of the deed poll or certificate ready, since that is what the providers that do publish a process ask for.
Can a utility bill in my new name help with my passport?
Yes. HM Passport Office's guidance to its staff lists a utility bill issued in the last 12 months among the documents that show you use your new name, and for a UK application one such document, alongside the deed poll, is normally enough. Changing your name with HM Passport Office sets out the rest.
Can we put both our names on the bill?
With many companies, each in its own way. United Utilities lets the main account holder add names in My Account. Welsh Water adds a name by closing the account and opening a new one in joint names. Octopus Energy asks the account holder to email it with the new person copied in, who then replies to confirm. OVO says a second name on its bills must be made financially liable for the account, with both of you confirming.
What if my energy supplier or phone company will not change my name?
Complain to the company first. Ofgem says an energy supplier must try to resolve a complaint within 8 weeks, after which, or sooner with a deadlock letter, you can go to the Energy Ombudsman. Ofcom says phone and broadband customers can use a free alternative dispute resolution scheme after six weeks, or sooner with a deadlock letter. What to do if an organisation refuses your deed poll has the steps that usually settle it first.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
