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Going back

Changing your name back

You can change your name back whenever you’re ready, and nobody has to approve it. Going back to your birth name after a marriage can be done with certificates, but going back to any other name, including the one you had before a deed poll, counts as a new change of name. For that, a new deed poll is the simple, complete answer.

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Back to your birth name
Back to a married name
Undoing a deed poll
Which route back fits you

Checked against HM Passport Office’s caseworker guidance, GOV.UK and the DVLA. Sources are listed at the end.

Updated: 30 October 2026
On this pageQuick answerWhich route?Back to your birth nameUndoing a deed pollGood to knowFAQs

The quick answer

It depends which name you’re going back to. For your birth name after a marriage or civil partnership, HM Passport Office accepts your birth certificate, your marriage certificate and a signed statement that you’ve gone back to it for all purposes, so you don’t need a deed poll for your passport.

For anything else, such as an earlier married name or the name you had before a deed poll, the Passport Office treats it as a new change of name and wants evidence of the change. That’s a new deed poll, £14.95 from us, signed in front of two witnesses, and it works for your bank, the DVLA and everyone else in one document.

Start here

Which name are you going back to?

Going back toWhat HM Passport Office wantsDo you need a deed poll?
Your birth name, after a marriage or civil partnershipYour birth and marriage certificates, a signed statement and proof you use the nameNot for your passport, but it makes banks and others simpler
Your birth name, with a deed poll or other change in betweenYour birth certificate, the documents for each change, a signed statement and proof you use the nameNot always, but if the Passport Office can’t follow every link, it treats it as a new change
A previous married nameEvidence of the change and proof you use the nameYes
The name you had before a deed pollEvidence of the change and proof you use the nameYes, a new deed poll
A name you used years agoEvidence of the change and proof you use the nameYes

HM Passport Office’s caseworker guidance says that going back to a name that isn’t your birth name, such as a previous married name or a name you changed by deed poll, must be treated as a change of name, with evidence of the change and evidence that you use the name for all purposes. HM Passport Office: change of name passport applications

After a marriage

Going back to your birth name after a marriage

For your passport, GOV.UK asks for your birth certificate, your marriage or civil partnership certificate showing both names, a document showing you use your old name, and a statement signed by you saying you’ve gone back to it for all purposes. Divorce papers aren’t on the list. GOV.UK: divorce or returning to a previous surname

Banks and other organisations set their own rules, and some want a decree absolute or final order, or a deed poll, before they’ll change you back. Our guides to changing your name after divorce and changing your name while separated show who asks for what.

One document for everyone. A deed poll back to your birth name saves explaining the signed statement route to every bank, insurer and employer, and it doesn’t depend on your divorce paperwork. It’s £14.95, posted free.

After a deed poll

Going back to the name you had before a deed poll

You can’t cancel a deed poll or tear it up to undo it. To go back, you change your name again, with a new deed poll from your current name to the one you want. HM Passport Office then treats it as a change of name like any other. HM Passport Office: change of name passport applications

Order a new deed poll

Your current name goes in as the old name, and the name you’re going back to as the new one.

Sign it with two witnesses

In ink, in both names, dated the day you sign it.

Update your records again

Start with your driving licence and passport, then your bank and everyone else.

Keep both deed polls

Together they show every step between your names, which the Passport Office and banks look for.

Change back in one go

Order your new deed poll today, with extra copies to update everyone at once. Same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday.

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Before you start

Good to know before you change back

Our free name change checklist lists everyone to tell, so nothing gets left in the wrong name.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Make a new deed poll from your current name to the name you want to go back to, and sign it in front of two witnesses. HM Passport Office treats it as a new change of name.

Yes. For your passport, GOV.UK asks for your birth certificate, your marriage certificate, proof that you use the name and a signed statement that you’ve gone back to it for all purposes.

There’s no legal limit. Each change needs its own evidence, though, and organisations will want to follow every step between your names.

Yes, with a deed poll. HM Passport Office treats going back to an earlier married name as a change of name, so it wants evidence of the change and proof that you use the name.

It still proves the change it made. Keep it with your new deed poll, because together they show every step between your names.

No. There’s no waiting period, and nobody has to approve it. You can sign a new deed poll whenever you’re ready.

Check the detail

Sources for this guide

Guidance and reference pages

The official rules this guide is based on, checked in October 2026.

Continue your name change

Related guides

Changing your name after divorce

Back to your maiden name, step by step.

Keeping your married name after divorce

Why you can, and what to update.

Lost a deed poll after several name changes?

Map every link between your names.

Ready when you are

Ready to change back?

A new deed poll, prepared from your details, checked by a person and posted free. £14.95, with same-day processing when you order by 6pm, Monday to Friday.

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