> Source: https://instantdeedpoll.co.uk/what-is-a-deed-poll/ — last reviewed 22 August 2026. This Markdown mirror is generated at build time from the same content the page serves.

# What Is a Deed Poll?

Quick answer

A deed poll is a legal document in which you formally give up your old name and declare that you will use your new name for all purposes. Signed in ink in front of two independent witnesses, it is accepted by HM Passport Office, the DVLA, HMRC, banks and every other UK organisation as proof of your name change.

Who should skip this

Skip a deed poll if you are only taking a spouse’s surname shown on your marriage certificate, if you need a Gender Recognition Certificate, or if a court has already ordered the name. Those jobs use different documents.

Checked by [Sarah Ellison](/author/sarah-ellison/), paralegal — last reviewed 22 August 2026

[Get your deed poll PDF — £14.99](/start/)One-time payment. Yours forever. No subscription, ever. Or use the free template.

## What does a deed poll actually say?

A deed poll contains three declarations: that you renounce your former name, that you adopt your new name for all purposes, and that you require everyone to address you by the new name. The wording is settled by long usage and by the government model wording — our documents reproduce it character-for-character.

There is no prescribed paper, seal, crest or issuer. What makes it a deed is the correct wording plus proper execution. GOV.UK publishes the model wording and says a specialist agency or a solicitor can make the deed poll for you and may charge a fee — which is exactly the service we sell, and which you can skip by using the [free template](/free-deed-poll-template/). HM Passport Office also calls this paper a [change of name deed](/change-of-name-deed/).

Not sure which instrument you need at all? Start with the [which-document checker](/which-document/).

## What makes a deed poll legally valid?

Execution. You sign the document in wet ink, once in your old name and once in your new name, in front of two independent adult witnesses who watch you sign and then add their own names, addresses and signatures. From that moment your name change is legally effective.

Electronic signatures are not accepted — HM Passport Office and the DVLA require the original ink-signed document. Witnesses should be 18 or over and independent of you: not relatives, not partners, and not living at your address. Print and sign three to four copies so each ink-signed copy is an original.

See [how to change my name in the UK](/how-to-change-your-name-uk/) for the signing sequence and the [who to notify](/who-to-notify/) order afterwards.

## What can a deed poll do — and not do?

It proves your new name for every UK organisation: passports, driving licences, HMRC, banks, the NHS, employers and schools. It cannot alter your birth certificate, your marital status, or records of past events, and it does not remove legal obligations attached to your old identity.

Debts, court orders, licences and notification requirements travel with you. The model wording includes an acknowledgement about telling the police where that duty applies. It also cannot give you a title such as Dr or Lord — misleading or offensive names may be refused; see [name restrictions](/name-restrictions/).

|
A deed poll does | A deed poll does not

| Change the name you use in the UK from the moment it is signed | Rewrite your [birth certificate](/change-name-birth-certificate/)

| Give HMPO, DVLA, HMRC and banks a document they accept when correctly executed | Change your legal gender (that is a [Gender Recognition Certificate](https://www.gov.uk/apply-gender-recognition-certificate))

| Work from age 16 for your own name, with no reason required | Override a missing parental-responsibility consent for a child under 16

## Enrolled or unenrolled — which do you need?

An unenrolled deed poll — the kind you print and sign at home — is fully valid and is what around 98–99% of people use. Enrolment at the High Court costs £53.05 (GOV.UK, checked 13 August 2026) and is only open from age 18. It adds a permanent Gazette record of your old name, new name and address.

GOV.UK now states that some organisations (such as some banks, mobile phone companies or energy providers) may only accept an enrolled deed poll. Ask that organisation before you pay the court. If they will take an unenrolled deed, enrolment is wasted money and a privacy cost.

The full comparison, including who should enrol, is at [enrolled vs unenrolled deed polls](/enrolled-vs-unenrolled-deed-poll/).

## How much does a deed poll cost?

Anywhere from nothing to about £300 for the same legal effect. DIY using the government wording is free. Our personalised PDF is £14.99. Posted competitors typically charge more for paper in the post. Solicitors often quote £150–£300. Enrolment is a separate £53.05 court fee on top of whatever document you enrol.

Passport and DVLA fees are not deed poll fees: an adult online passport is £102; a DVLA name change is free (GOV.UK passport fees and DVLA guidance, checked 13 August 2026). Full breakdown: [how much a deed poll costs](/deed-poll-cost/) and the downloadable tables on [open data](/open-data/).

## Who is a deed poll NOT for?

Skip it if you are only taking the surname already printed on your marriage certificate — HMPO and the DVLA accept the certificate for that swap. Skip it if a child’s other parental-responsibility holder has not agreed: buy nothing, read the C100 route instead. Skip enrolment if you want privacy.

Trans applicants use the same deed poll as everyone else; the difference is privacy, not the form — see [trans name change UK](/trans-name-change-uk/). If an organisation asked for a statutory declaration rather than a deed poll, start at [statutory declarations](/statutory-declaration/).

## Related guides

- [Change of name deed](/change-of-name-deed/)
- [Name change UK guide](/how-to-change-your-name-uk/)
- [Adult deed poll — £14.99](/adult-deed-poll/)
- [Free template](/free-deed-poll-template/)
- [Enrolled vs unenrolled](/enrolled-vs-unenrolled-deed-poll/)

## Sources and further reading

- [GOV.UK — change your name by deed poll](https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll)
- [GOV.UK — enrol a deed poll with the courts](https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll/enrol-a-deed-poll-with-the-courts)
- [GOV.UK — make an unenrolled deed poll](https://www.gov.uk/make-unenrolled-deed-poll)

Good to know

## Frequently asked questions

### Is a deed poll a legal document?+

Yes. A deed poll is a formal legal declaration, executed as a deed, that you have given up your old name and will use your new name for all purposes. Once signed in wet ink in front of two independent adult witnesses, it is legally effective immediately — no court, solicitor or government approval is involved.

### Why is it called a “deed poll”?+

A “deed” is a written legal promise executed with witnesses. “Poll” comes from an old word for a document with straight-cut (polled) edges, showing it was made by one person alone — unlike an indenture between two parties, which was cut with a wavy edge.

### Is there an official deed poll register?+

No. There is no central register of name changes in the UK, and no organisation “issues” official deed polls. Optional court enrolment places a copy on public record at the Royal Courts of Justice, but around 98–99% of people never enrol because it adds publicity, cost and delay — not validity.

### Does a deed poll change my birth certificate?+

No. Your birth certificate is a record of the facts at birth and stays as it is. After a deed poll, your passport, driving licence, bank records and so on are updated to your new name; the birth certificate is then simply historical.

### Will HM Passport Office accept an unenrolled deed poll?+

Yes. Submit the original wet-ink document plus one name-in-use document dated within 12 months. Enrolment is not required. GOV.UK also notes that some banks or utilities may insist on an enrolled deed — ask that organisation if they have said no to an unenrolled one.

### Can I use an electronic signature?+

No. HM Passport Office and the DVLA require the original ink-signed document, signed in front of physically present witnesses. A typed or e-signed file is not a reliable original.