The original
HM Passport Office and DVLA each ask for your Deed Poll itself, so one waits for the other. Either order works.
- Passport or licence
- Then the other
Help & advice
How long does it take before I can use my new name?
Legally, from the moment you sign your Deed Poll in front of your witnesses. Ours are posted the same working day, so the wait is the post, and then each organisation’s own timetable.
- Dispatched the same working day
- Accepted, or your money back
When could your new name be legal?
Ours are posted the same working day. After that it is the post you choose at the checkout:
- 2nd Class£2.99, 3 to 5 working days
- 1st Class£4.99, 1 to 3 working days
- Tracked£6.99, 1 to 2 working days
- Tracked & Signed£9.99, 1 to 2 working days
Your new name is legal from the moment you sign it in front of your witnesses.
- Posted
- Arrives
- Your new nameLegal the moment you sign it in front of your witnesses
Working days leave out weekends and bank holidays in England and Wales.
Legally
It is yours the day you sign
GOV.UK says you can use your signed deed poll straight away as proof of your new name. There is no cooling-off period, nothing to send back to us, and nowhere to register it.
Until it is signed and witnessed, though, none of that applies, so that comes first. Signing and witnessing it takes a few minutes.
From that day you can ask people to use your new name. The organisations that hold your records change them when you show each one the signed Deed Poll.
The day it arrives
- You sign itIn your old and new names, in front of your witnesses
- Your witnesses signThere is space for two: each over 18, not a relative and not living with you
- The name is yoursNothing to register, and nothing to wait for
After it is signed
What takes longer
Your name changes the day you sign. Each record then changes on its own organisation’s timetable, and these are the waits they publish.
- Electoral registerAbout 5 minutes, online
- Your Deed Poll, by post1 to 5 working days
- PassportUsually within 3 weeks of your documents arriving
- Driving licenceUsually within 3 weeks, by post
- Vehicle log bookUp to 6 weeks
- Enrolment, if you need itSeveral months
Making the waits overlap
One at a time, or all at once
You have one original, and two organisations ask for the Deed Poll itself. Everyone else can be told at the same time.
Certified copies
Many other organisations accept a certified copy, so banks, lenders, pension providers and your employer can all be told while the original is away.
- Bank
- Lenders
- Pension
- Employer
Who to tell, and in what order, with a list that fits you.
Worth knowing
What actually holds people up
A deed that is refused
GOV.UK notes that some organisations may not accept a deed poll you have made yourself. Ours are hand-drafted by a paralegal, and if one is ever refused, we refund you in full.
Posting your only original
Nobody else holds a copy of an unenrolled Deed Poll, so a lost one has to be drafted again. Send a certified copy wherever one is accepted.
Travel booked in the old name
The name on a booking has to match the passport you travel on, so book in the name printed in the passport you will carry.
Names that do not match
A middle name on one record and not another slows every check. Use the exact wording of your Deed Poll everywhere.
Questions & answers
More about using your new name
Is there a waiting period after I sign?
No. GOV.UK says you can use your signed deed poll straight away as proof of your new name, and there is nothing to register or send back.
Can I use my new name before my Deed Poll arrives?
You can ask people to call you by it. The change itself takes effect when you sign the Deed Poll in front of your witnesses, and the organisations that hold your records change them when you show them the signed deed.
How long does delivery take?
Ours are dispatched the same working day. After that it depends on the post you choose at the checkout: 2nd Class takes 3 to 5 working days, 1st Class 1 to 3, and Tracked or Tracked & Signed 1 to 2.
Do I have to wait for my new passport before using my new name?
No. Your name changes when you sign the Deed Poll, and your passport is updated separately. Just book any travel in the name on the passport you will travel with. How long a passport takes.
Why do certified copies make it quicker?
HM Passport Office and DVLA ask for the original, so those two go one at a time. Many other organisations accept a certified copy, so they can all be told at once while the original is away.
Can you email my Deed Poll as a PDF?
No. It is printed on certificate paper and posted to you, and you sign the original in front of your witnesses.
Something else? Ask a paralegal and we will answer, usually the same working day.
Want yours in the post today?
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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