How the date is worked out
The same way our checkout works it out, in two parts.
First, the day it is posted. An order placed during working hours on a working day is drafted by a paralegal, checked and handed to Royal Mail that same day. An order placed in the evening, at the weekend or on a bank holiday goes on the next working day. If something in your application is unclear, a paralegal emails you before drafting rather than guessing, and the clock waits for your reply.
Then Royal Mail's estimate for the service you chose, counted in working days from the day of posting. Working days are Monday to Friday, not counting bank holidays in England and Wales, so an order placed just before a long weekend takes longer by the calendar than the same order placed on a Monday.
Those estimates are Royal Mail's, not promises we can make, which is why the tool shows a window rather than a single day.
Which service should I choose?
- 2nd Class, £2.99. The cheapest, and enough when nothing depends on the date.
- 1st Class, £4.99. Usually a day or two sooner.
- Tracked, £6.99. The quickest, and you can follow it, which helps if you are working to a date.
- Tracked and Signed, £9.99. Just as quick, and someone signs for it on arrival, so choose it only if someone will be in.
- International, £14.99. For an address outside the UK. It may travel by courier instead of Royal Mail.
Whichever you choose, the envelope is plain: nothing on it says what is inside, except for post to a prison or abroad, where the sender has to be shown.
When it arrives
Read both names through, letter by letter, before anyone signs, because a signed deed cannot be corrected. Then sign it in front of your witnesses, and it takes effect the moment it is signed: how to sign and witness your deed poll goes through it. After that, who to tell, and in what order takes you through the rest, and if a passport in the new name is part of your plan, how long a passport in a new name takes has the timings.
If it is late
Tell us. We will help you trace it, make a claim to Royal Mail and work out with you how to put things right. Our prices and delivery page has every price and service in one place.
Questions people ask
How long does a deed poll take to arrive?
It is drafted, checked and posted the same working day, then Royal Mail takes 3 to 5 working days by 2nd Class, 1 to 3 by 1st Class, and 1 to 2 by Tracked or Tracked and Signed. Ordered on a working day, a Tracked deed poll can be with you as soon as the next working day.
Do you post on Saturdays?
No. We draft, check and post on working days, Monday to Friday, not on bank holidays in England and Wales, and the tool counts the days the same way. An order placed at the weekend is posted on the next working day.
Is the delivery date guaranteed?
No. The times for each service are Royal Mail's own estimates, not promises we can make, which is why the tool gives a window rather than a single day. If your post is late or goes missing, tell us: we will help you trace it and make a claim to Royal Mail.
What does the envelope look like?
Plain. Nothing on the envelope says what is inside, except for post to a prison or to an address abroad, where the sender has to be shown.
Can you send it abroad?
Yes, by the International service for £14.99, usually 5 to 7 working days. International orders may travel by courier instead of Royal Mail.
Something else? Ask us, and a person replies by email, normally the same working day.
