Child Deed Poll – Change Your Child’s Name for £17.99

For this agreed-change pack, everyone with parental responsibility must consent. Check the birth registration, marriage history, parental responsibility agreements and court orders; being named on a birth certificate alone is not a reliable test in every case. Our pack includes a free consent letter for each person to sign and date; keep the signed letters with the deed poll, because HM Passport Office and schools may ask for them. Read more about parental responsibility and name changes and whether the father has to agree.

If required consent is missing, seek family-law advice about court permission before making the change. In England and Wales, GOV.UK describes a Specific Issue Order using form C100; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own court procedures. Our form blocks purchase when you cannot confirm everyone’s consent. This pack does not resolve a dispute or replace a court order. See the parental responsibility and court-order guide.

Have the child’s current and proposed full names, date of birth, home address, your details and the details of everyone with parental responsibility ready. Our form does not ask you to upload identity documents. You must check consent and any court orders yourself; receiving organisations make their own evidence checks.

Check spelling against existing records before you pay. A downloaded PDF becomes the signed document only after the required ink signatures and witnessing. See who can witness a deed poll and the name change notification checklist.

A parent or guardian executes the deed poll on the child’s behalf, in ink, in front of two independent witnesses aged 18 or over — the same witness rules as an adult deed poll. If the child is old enough to understand the change, it is good practice for them to sign too; our document includes an optional child signature block. From 16, a person usually executes their own adult deed poll instead; check any court orders that still apply.

Check each recipient’s policy before applying. A signed deed records the change; it does not automatically update the child’s school, NHS or passport record. The evidence needed can include consent, the new name in use and court orders.

For schools in England, Department for Education guidance says schools should obtain written surname-change consent independently of the parent requesting the change. Ask the school how it updates the admissions register and everyday name. Check the relevant local rules elsewhere in the UK.

For a child’s passport, HM Passport Office guidance requires evidence of the change and use of the new name, plus the necessary consent or court permission. Follow the application’s document instructions. See passport name-change evidence.

Ask the GP practice what it needs for a child and which connected records it will update. Our NHS name-change guide explains why other providers may need to be contacted separately. If a recipient declines the document, use the deed poll acceptance troubleshooting steps before buying a different document.

Changing a child’s surname after divorce or separation still requires the consent of everyone with parental responsibility — which almost always includes your ex-spouse. See changing your child’s surname: rules and consent before ordering. Stepfamily and travel questions: can my child take a step-parent’s surname? and travelling abroad when your surname differs from your child’s.

For a baby born in England or Wales, first names (not the surname) can be added or changed in the birth register within 12 months of registration under section 13 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953. That is a register update rather than a deed poll: see whether the birth register itself can show a new name.