A register of Deed Polls
An unenrolled Deed Poll is a paper you keep, not a line in anyone’s records, so no office holds a copy of yours. Keep the original somewhere safe, and let certified copies do the travelling.
Help & advice
Do I have to register my new name anywhere?
No. You can use your Deed Poll as soon as it is signed and witnessed, and nothing is filed anywhere. The only register is enrolment with the High Court: optional, £53.05, and published in The Gazette with your address.
- Hand-drafted by a paralegal
- Accepted, or your money back
Do you need to enrol?
GOV.UK’s guidance, and who each part is for:
If no organisation has asked for one
No need to enrol
Nothing to register
Once it is signed and witnessed, your Deed Poll proves the new name from that same day. GOV.UK confirms there is no wait, and there is nothing to lodge with anyone.
Enrolling it does not make it any more likely to be accepted, and if a Deed Poll we have drafted is ever refused, we refund you in full.
If one has, and you are 18 or over
Enrol with the High Court
Enrolment is what it is asking for
Check exactly what it needs first. If it is an enrolled deed poll, this is what is involved:
- £53.05, applying online or by post
- Several months, with an update available after 6
- Three court forms, signed in front of 2 witnesses and a solicitor or another authorised witness
- Published in The Gazette, with your address
If one has, and you are under 18
A child’s enrolment
A parent or guardian applies
For a child, the application is made by a parent or guardian. Every person who holds parental responsibility has to agree, failing which a court order is needed, and the fee is the same £53.05, with the same wait of several months.
At 16 or 17, a marriage or civil partnership (current or past) means you take the adult route instead.
If you would rather it was not publishedExplain why in the application. GOV.UK says that with a strong reason, the judge may agree to publish only a first name or a surname.
Read it on GOV.UK
From GOV.UK’s deed poll guidance, checked October 2026.
What people picture
Two things that do not exist, and one that does
An office that approves them
Nobody signs off an unenrolled Deed Poll. There is a Deed Poll Office, at the Royal Courts of Justice, but enrolment is its only work, so a site offering to register your deed with an official body is describing something that is not there.
Enrolment with the High Court
The High Court records the change and The Gazette prints it for anyone to read. The court fee is £53.05, the wait can run to several months, and you apply on the court’s own forms rather than with a deed you already hold.
Side by side
Unenrolled or enrolled
Both prove a change of name. They differ in who makes them, what they cost, how long they take and what becomes public.
| Compared | Unenrolled, like ours | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A signed, witnessed deed that stays with you | A deed the High Court records, seals and returns to you by post |
| Who makes it | Anyone 16 or over, alone or through a specialist or solicitor | Applicants 18 or over; a parent or guardian applies for a child |
| Signing | Ours: in front of two independent adult witnesses, with a space for each | Two witnesses watch you sign LOC020; a solicitor or other authorised witness watches you sign LOC021 and LOC027 |
| Cost | £18.50 with us | £53.05 court fee |
| Time | Usable once signed; ours are dispatched the same working day | Can take several months |
| Public record | None | Your name change and address, in The Gazette |
| Acceptance | Ours are guaranteed to be accepted, or your money back | No more likely to be accepted than an unenrolled one |
Enrolment details from GOV.UK, checked October 2026. Every Deed Poll we draft is unenrolled, and enrolment is not a service we offer.
The public record
What enrolment publishes
An enrolled change of name is published in The Gazette, the official public record, in its Changes of Name notices. GOV.UK says the notice includes your address, and anyone can search The Gazette online.
That matters if you are changing your name for privacy, or to leave a past behind. Where there is a strong reason to keep your details out of print, set it out in the application: GOV.UK says the judge can then limit the notice to your first name or your surname alone.
You are sent a copy of the notice by email or post once it is published.
The Gazette · Changes of Name
“Notice is hereby given that a Deed Poll dated…”
- Dated, and enrolled
- 2 March 2026, and 18 August 2026
- Former name
- Jane Smith
- Address and postcode
- 1 Example Road, Anytown AB1 2CD
- Marital status and nationality
- Single, and a British citizen
- New name
- Jane Taylor
If you need it
How enrolment works
Apply online or by post
Online, HM Courts and Tribunals Service reviews it and emails you forms LOC020, LOC021 and LOC027. By post, you download them from GOV.UK.
Gather your documents
A copy of your birth certificate, a valid passport or a certificate of naturalisation, plus others if they apply, such as a marriage certificate.
Sign in front of the right people
Two witnesses watch you sign LOC020 and add their own signatures. LOC021 and LOC027 are signed before a solicitor or other authorised witness, who signs them as well.
Post the forms and pay
To the Deed Poll Office, Room E15, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL. The fee is £53.05.
Wait for the sealed deed
It can take several months. The Deed Poll Office seals your deed and posts it back, and you are sent your Gazette notice.
The full process, with the forms, is on GOV.UK. We do not enrol deeds, and a paralegal will tell you honestly if you need to.
Questions & answers
More about registering a new name
Is an unenrolled Deed Poll legal?
Yes. Once it is signed and witnessed it proves your new name from that day, which GOV.UK confirms. Enrolment is a separate, optional step that puts the change on public record.
Why would anyone enrol?
To put the change on public record, or because an organisation has asked for an enrolled one. It does not make a Deed Poll any more likely to be accepted, and it can take several months and publishes your address in The Gazette.
How long does enrolment take?
Several months, on GOV.UK’s figures. If you have heard nothing after 6 months, the Deed Poll Office will give you an update when you ask.
Will my address be published?
If you enrol, yes. GOV.UK says the notice in The Gazette carries your name change and your address. With a strong reason you can ask for your details to be held back, and the judge may limit the notice to your first name or your surname. An unenrolled Deed Poll is not published anywhere.
Can I enrol a Deed Poll you have drafted?
Not as it stands. Enrolment is done on the court's own forms, LOC020, LOC021 and LOC027, so it is a separate application rather than a stamp on a deed you already have. Ours are unenrolled, and we do not make enrolment applications.
Is there a Deed Poll Office?
Yes, at the Royal Courts of Justice, but it deals only with enrolled deed polls. It does not register, approve or keep copies of unenrolled ones, and no other body does either.
What if I lose an unenrolled Deed Poll?
Nobody else holds a copy, so it is drafted again as a Replacement Deed Poll, recording the change you already made and the date you made it. Your name does not change back in the meantime.
Something else? Ask a paralegal and we will answer, usually the same working day.
Ready to change your name?
Apply online in about five minutes. Your Deed Poll is drafted, checked and dispatched the same working day, and guaranteed to be accepted.
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