Impressed at how rapid and cheap. Would definitely recommend
How it works
How to change your name
Which route fits your situation, and exactly what happens when you do it by Deed Poll with us. Most of the work is done for you on the day you order.
- Guaranteed acceptance
- Posted today
- 4.95 from 7,678 reviews
If you order today
- todayYou applyAbout five minutes, nothing to post
- todayDrafted, checked and postedBy a paralegal, then Royal Mail
- in 1–2 working daysIt lands on your doormatBy Tracked post
- that dayYou sign it with two witnessesYour new name is now your legal name
Done by usDone by you
Start here
Which route is yours?
The reason for the change decides the document. Pick yours and we will tell you straight, including when you do not need us.
The Deed Poll route
You need a Deed Poll, and nobody has to approve it
There is no application to anybody, no reason to give, and no one who decides whether you may. You make the change yourself, and a Deed Poll is the document that records you made it.
- Any part of your name – first name, surname, both, the spelling, the order, or dropping one
- A name you already use – one you have gone by for years and now want on your passport
- A change on transition – separate from a Gender Recognition Certificate, which is explained on GOV.UK
What to do
Aged 16 or over, you need an Adult Deed Poll. It is £18.50 and takes about five minutes to apply for.
Apply online – £18.50 What you may change it to
Usually no Deed Poll
Your certificate is normally the evidence
If you take your spouse's surname, your marriage or civil partnership certificate is your proof. HM Passport Office, the DVLA and your bank all ask to see it, and you send it, or a certified copy, to everyone who holds your records.
- Keeping your own name – needs no document at all
- A double-barrelled surname – HM Passport Office takes the certificate for it; other organisations set their own rules, so ask them
- A lost certificate – can be reordered from the General Register Office on GOV.UK
When you would need us
If the name you want is not the one written on the certificate, a Deed Poll states it exactly and removes the argument.
About the Adult Deed Poll
Sometimes a Deed Poll
Going back to a name you held before
You do not need anyone's permission to return to a former name. GOV.UK says you may be able to do it by showing your marriage certificate with the final order, which used to be called the decree absolute, and that some organisations will not change your name back without a Deed Poll.
- A copy of the final order – can be ordered on GOV.UK
- A certificate you cannot produce – a Deed Poll stands on its own instead
- A name you have never held – no certificate can evidence it, so that one is a Deed Poll
When you would need us
When the paperwork is missing, or the name is a new one. Either way it is an Adult Deed Poll at £18.50.
Apply online – £18.50
Child Deed Poll
Everyone with parental responsibility has to agree
Under 16, a parent applies on the child's behalf. That agreement is the whole of it, and it is where most refused child Deed Polls go wrong.
- A mother has parental responsibility automatically
- A father married to the mother when the child was born has it, and keeps it after a divorce
- An unmarried father usually has it if he is on the birth certificate, or by agreement or court order
What to do
If the other parent will not agree, a Deed Poll cannot do it and the route is a court specific issue order. Otherwise it is £18.50.
Apply online – £18.50 Who has to agree
Replacement Deed Poll
Your name has not changed back
Nothing you have already updated is affected. There is no register of unenrolled Deed Polls, so nobody else holds a copy of yours, and a lost one is drafted again rather than retrieved.
- Any original qualifies – ours, another provider's or a solicitor's
- However long ago – there is no time limit and you do not need the old one
- No second name change – the new deed records the change you already made
What to do
A replacement is £18.50 for an adult or a child, drafted and posted the same working day.
Apply online – £18.50 About replacements
The Deed Poll route
Seven steps, and three of them are ours
Ours happen the day you order. Yours start when the envelope arrives, and the first of them takes a minute and a pen.
You
About five minutes, online
-
1
Apply online
Your current name, your new name, your title and your address. Nothing is posted to us, and no proof of identity is needed to draft it. Pay by card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Klarna, and the confirmation arrives by email straight away.
Us
The same working day
Posted today-
2
Drafted by a paralegal
A paralegal writes your Deed Poll, and any certified copies, in wording they know is accepted. If anything in your application needs clarifying, they email you before drafting rather than guess.
-
3
Checked by quality control
A second person checks every name, spelling, title and date against what you asked for. Those are what get deeds refused, so none of them is left to one pair of eyes.
-
4
Posted by Royal Mail
Everything goes in one envelope the same working day, by the delivery service you chose at the checkout. Order at a weekend or on a bank holiday and it goes the next working day.
You
When it arrives
Tracked post in 1–2 working days-
5
It lands on your doormat
Your Deed Poll on bespoke certificate paper, any certified copies, a cover letter template and plain-English guides. Nothing is emailed as a PDF: the original you sign is the one printed on certificate paper.
-
6
Sign it in front of two witnesses
Independent adults, each over 18, not related to you and not living at your address. The moment it is signed and witnessed, your new name is your legal name.
How to sign and witness it -
7
Tell everyone who holds your records
Send it, or a certified copy, with the cover letter. Some organisations keep what you send while they process it, which is why copies let you do several at once.
Who to tell first
Order today and it should reach you:Royal Mail working days, chosen at the checkout
After it arrives
Who to tell, and in what order
The order matters more than people expect. HM Passport Office and DVLA each ask for a document already in your new name, so start with the organisations that produce one.
- First
Bank, employer, HMRC and council
A statement, a payslip or a letter from them in your new name is the document HM Passport Office and DVLA ask for. Banks and employers usually keep a certified copy.
- Then
Passport and driving licence
Each asks for your original Deed Poll and holds it while it processes the change, so they go one at a time. Either order works.
- Finally
Everyone else
Your GP and dentist, the electoral register, pension, credit cards, insurers, utilities, schools and clubs. Most keep a certified copy, look at the original or take a photocopy, so they can run together.
Questions & answers
Before you start
How long does the whole thing take?
Our part takes the day you order. Your Deed Poll is drafted, checked and posted the same working day, and Royal Mail then takes between one and five working days, depending on the service you choose at the checkout. After that, each organisation you tell works to its own timetable. For passports, see how long a passport takes.
Do I need to send you anything?
No. You apply online with your current name, your new name, your title and your address. Nothing is posted to us, and no proof of identity is needed for us to draft it.
When can I start using my new name?
From the moment you and your witnesses sign the Deed Poll. It is your legal name from then on, even before any organisation has updated its records.
Who can be my witness?
Any adult over 18 who is not related to you and does not live at your address. Your Deed Poll has space for two witnesses, and we recommend using both. A friend, a colleague or a neighbour is fine. A partner or a family member cannot be your witness, and it is an easy mistake to make. How to sign and witness it.
What if I make a mistake when I sign?
Do not correct it, cross it out or use correction fluid, because an altered deed can be refused. Contact us before you do anything else and a paralegal will tell you what to do.
Can I get it faster?
It is posted the same working day whichever service you choose. Tracked and Tracked & Signed usually arrive in one to two working days, and 1st Class in one to three. You choose the service at the checkout.
Do I have to register it anywhere?
No. An unenrolled Deed Poll is binding as soon as it is signed and witnessed, and there is nothing to register. Enrolling it at the Royal Courts of Justice is optional, costs £53.05 and makes it no more binding. More on registering a new name.
Can one Deed Poll be used for everything?
Yes. It is one document, and every organisation accepts it. The catch is that several of them keep it while they process the change, so certified copies let you deal with more than one at a time.
Something else? Ask a paralegal and we will answer, usually the same working day.
Customer reviews
Read all our reviews
What our customers say
Excellent
4.95 out of 5 from 7,678 reviews
Read all our reviews
Very fast and cheap compared to other options. Fully accepted everywhere (I used Deed Polls Online to change the name on my license)
Needed a name change and these guys made the whole process seamless. I can definitely recommend them.
Ready to start?
Apply online in about five minutes. Your Deed Poll is drafted, checked and posted the same working day, and guaranteed to be accepted.
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