What Is a Deed Poll?
Quick answer
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.
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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. HM Passport Office also calls this paper a change of name deed.
Not sure which instrument you need at all? Start with the which-document checker.
What makes a deed poll legally valid?
Correct wording plus proper execution as a deed. In England and Wales a document is a deed only if it makes clear on its face that it is intended to be one — the GOV.UK model says “Signed as a deed” — and an individual executes it by signing it in the presence of a witness who attests the signature and delivering it as a deed. HM Passport Office accepts an unenrolled deed that is dated, signed in wet ink in both your old and new names, and signed by at least one witness. GOV.UK says you can use your signed deed poll straight away as proof of your new name.
The GOV.UK model wording and our document use two witnesses aged 18 or over, who watch you sign and then add their own names, addresses and signatures. GOV.UK warns that some organisations will not accept a deed poll if a witness lives at the same address or is a close relative, so choose independent adults. Details: who can witness a deed poll.
Electronic signatures are not accepted — HM Passport Office and the DVLA require the original ink-signed document. Print and sign three to four copies so each ink-signed copy is an original.
See how to change my name in the UK for the signing sequence and the who to notify order afterwards.
What can a deed poll do — and not do?
It provides evidence of a name change when updating records such as your passport, driving licence, bank account or employment records. Each recipient can require additional evidence or a particular document type; a deed does not guarantee acceptance everywhere. It does not change your marital status or 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.
| 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 |
| Provide name-change evidence, subject to each recipient’s document and identity requirements | Change your legal gender (that is a 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 that you print and correctly sign at home is valid and avoids a public court record. Check whether your organisation accepts it. Enrolment at the High Court costs £53.05 (GOV.UK, checked 24 September 2026). Adult enrolment is for people aged 18 or over; a child’s deed poll can be enrolled through the separate child-enrolment process. 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.
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. Services that print and post a deed set their own prices and extras, so compare what each includes — see our UK Name Change and UK Deed Poll Service comparisons. Solicitors quote individually for preparation and advice. 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 and the downloadable tables on 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. If an organisation asked for a statutory declaration rather than a deed poll, start at statutory declarations.
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